Through the stories of four fathers, David Maye invites us to rethink what fatherhood can be. His tender feature documentary Dads premiered at Visions du Réel 2025.
While modern Western societies have seen some progress—still far from sufficient—toward gender equality, there remains a stark imbalance when it comes to parenting. In our collective imagination, the mother is still seen as the primary caregiver. This is precisely the image that David Maye seeks to challenge in his feature documentary Dads (original title: Les Papas), in which he follows four fathers, all living in Switzerland, over several months. The film had its world premiere at Visions du Réel 2025, as part of the National Competition.
Switching between direct cinema and intimate conversations, Maye brings to the screen a rich tapestry of fatherhood through these four men, each in a very different situation. Gaëtan, a father of three, was so moved by his own journey into parenthood that he began offering workshops to help other men prepare for fatherhood. Julien, on the other hand, chose to have a child on his own. In order to better navigate life as a single parent and foster his daughter’s development, he partnered with another father in a similar situation. Together, they created a shared custody arrangement that allows their children to see each other regularly and grow up together. By filming over an extended period of time, Maye also captures the evolving emotional bonds these men build with their children—bonds that deepen as they get to know one another.
With a deeply realistic and tender approach, Dads encourages us to reconsider our perception of fatherhood, while also shedding light on the structural barriers that still hold back the father’s role in parenting. From the very start—pregnancy and birth—fathers are often sidelined, even though their involvement during this stage could be vital, both for supporting the mother and for the child’s prenatal development. In this way, the film resonates with The Labour of Pain and Joy, Karoliina Gröndahl’s feature documentary, which also explores more gentle and inclusive approaches to childbirth.
