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Call Me Dad

Name: Call Me Dad
Director: Benni Setiawan
Released: 2025
Duration: 120 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

2025

Director

Benni Setiawan

Runtime

120 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Call Me Dad examines the intersection of economic hardship and surrogate parenting. By adapting the South Korean film Pawn, the filmmakers highlight unconventional social structures and the pressures that push underrepresented individuals into unstable situations. The film's strength lies in its ability to question Western ideas of the nuclear family. It replaces rigid family models with a flexible, situational model of kinship based on emotional bonds rather than legal or biological ties. While the film offers a valuable non-Western perspective on class and family dynamics, it remains limited in its portrayal of specific identity groups such as the LGBTQ+ community or those with disabilities.

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Category Breakdown

Does Call Me Dad have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not explicitly include LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight gender expressions. While it features non-traditional family structures, there are no clear LGBTQ themes.

How does Call Me Dad portray gender?

Fair

The story challenges traditional gender roles by focusing on the empowerment of a young girl and her mother, who is driven by financial needs. It also redefines masculine roles as the male character transitions from a debt collector to a caregiver.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Call Me Dad?

Good

As an Indonesian film, it provides a unique non-Western viewpoint. It uses the socio-economic reality of migrant workers to explore class and ethnic issues within a local context.

How does Call Me Dad represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film questions traditional institutions by emphasizing chosen family connections over biological ones. It challenges the sanctity of the nuclear family and the morality of capitalist debt systems through its main characters.

Does Call Me Dad include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no visible or mentioned depictions of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender roles by redefining masculine archetypes.
Provides a unique non-Western perspective on family and socio-economic issues.
Questions systemic failures by prioritizing chosen kinship over traditional family structures.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight gender expressions.
Does not depict physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Focuses primarily on economic and kinship structures rather than broader identity diversity.

Official Synopsis

Little Intan was used as collateral for a debt by her mother, who was forced to become a migrant worker and leave her behind. But from that moment, her life took a turn. Dedi, the debt collector — a stranger who initially just came to collect — ended up becoming an important figure in Intan’s life. Together with Tatang, they grew into an unusual kind of “family.”

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