Sr.

Undeniably charming and equally bittersweet, Sr. is an unconventionally crafted documentary that engages and moves just as much as any other narrative out right now. With a savvy style and spontaneous spirit, documentary filmmaker Chris Smith delivers a deeply compelling study of the father-son relationship between Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. and his independent filmmaking father, Robert Downey Sr., leading up to the last days of his life as he battles with Parkinson’s Disease.

Just as Robert Downey Sr. was an offbeat, unconventional indie filmmaker that worked outside the Hollywood system, filmmaker Chris Smith, who is no stranger to documenting American indie filmmakers himself (American Movie), has helmed an off-beat and aesthetically impressive documentary that aims to accomplish many things with his spontaneous style. The documentary holds many elements: an elegiac portrait of a father-son making amends and reconnecting, a tribute to Downey Sr.’s career as a filmmaker, and eventually, the doc becomes a meditation on the passage of time and death. We all know Robert Downey Jr. due to his iconic role as Iron Man in the beloved Marvel movies, some of us are also aware of his father, Robert Downey Sr., and Chris Smith’s documentary delivers an honest insight on who these men are and how they attempt to reconnect with one another as they still wrestle with their inner demons.

The film begins with the two Downey’s bonding, and just when you think it’s going to be overly earnest or sentimental, the documentary shifts gears and becomes more of a coping mechanism. Smith allows the Downey’s to go some dark places together as they recount drug abuse, grief, and rocky areas in their career where they faced major scrutiny in the press and were always in the spotlight due to their counter-culture embrace of substance abuse, which led Downey Jr. in and out of rehab for a substantial part of his life, which nearly jeopardized his career. Smith utilizes a lot of Downey’s home movie footage, and he shoots the documentary in black-and-white. We get clips from Downey Sr. films he directed like Hugo’s Pool, Up the Academy, and Putney Swope, to name a few. We also see really early home-video indie films that have a stripped down, raw feel, like a John Waters films.

We see footage of 5-year-old Jr. acting in his father’s feature, “Pound,” which was released just after “Putney Swope, which covered a lot of themes about race and power structure. Even at a young age, Robert Downey Jr. knew he loved acting. The family recalls Jr. sleeping in the editing room as his parents edited their feature films. Eventually, the family moved from New York to Los Angeles to be closer to the industry, and Downey was hired to direct the R-rated military-kids Mad Magazine movie Up the Academy. From the start, Downey didn’t like the studio system. He was stripped of all creative decisions, especially since he originally thought it would have been funnier and more faithful to the Mag Magazine sketch if the cast were a younger one, which was rewritten for teenagers due to scheduling constraints. It’s also the most complex area of the documentary, where Sr. holds a lot of regret for exposing Jr. to drugs openly in their environment. Even though Smith focuses on these disparities in broad strokes, there is still a moving catharsis and amends to be found between the two Downey’s. He admits and takes full responsibility for the anguish and addiction that he created for his son.

Whatever ails the Downeys in the past are atoned for and redeemed; even if they aren’t, the film becomes about the present.Downey Jr. is certainly a caring son, and he cares deeply for his family and ailing father. Still, the documentary doesn’t quite dig as deep as it could have, but the film is more about atonement and enjoying the little time we do have left with our loved ones. You can see the love and mutual respect the father-son have in their eyes. I recall spending every moment I could with my father as he was battling with his disease around the same time Downey was. I’m also a junior. So, the film really hits close to home, as it will for anyone else who has lost a parent in their life.

Through Smith’s fluid videography and precise cutting, Sr. achieves an honest intimacy that is remarkable between the subjects. Some of the scenes are heartbreaking, such as one in which Robert Downey Sr. recalls with Downey Jr. his second marriage to Laura Ernist, whom both father and son adored and who was taken from them at a young age by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Other scenes seep through with vigorous charm and humor, and there is a tone of buoyancy in the film’s payoff.

The documentary proves that no matter what past experiences and animosity one might have towards a family member or parent, the power of redemption goes far. Seeing Jr. take his youngest son, Exton Downey, to his aging father as he’s in the final stretch of his disease is undeniably moving. Now Exton will forever hold a memory of his grandfather, all thanks to the father-son team making amends through their creative process. It might be a documentary that feels more like a coping mechanism than a sturdy analysis, but  Sr. is a moving, endearing experience that becomes a lovely tribute to Robert Downey Jr.’s father. Hopefully, this documentary will encourage anyone who watches it to become closer with their parents.

Sr. is now streaming on Netflix