1882. I Am Your Father (2015)

Starring: David Prowse, Marcos Cabota, Jeremy Bulloch

Director: Marcos Cabota, Toni Bestard

Running Time: 82 mins

I Am Your Father is a Spanish documentary about David Prowse, the man who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, but was cut off from Lucasfilm after a series of controversies.

This is a very interesting documentary. It’s undoubtedly a must-watch for all Star Wars fans, giving a fascinating insight and more personal insight into the behind-the-scenes world of the original trilogy, but it’s actually more than that, proving a very intriguing character study about David Prowse, brilliantly portraying him as so much more than just ‘the guy in the Darth Vader costume’, and in the end, that’s what really makes this film work.

In what seems like a fairly strange and unorthodox move, a lot of the film focuses on director Marcos Cabota and his relationship with Prowse, being a fan since 2004 and having learnt more and more about him over the years. As a result, a lot of the film involves Cabota’s personal views on the situation surrounding Prowse, and although that does lead to some strong biases in a few cases, it really helps to make David Prowse a more approachable character in the story, rather than just being the focus of a typical documentary.

So, this film does a really good job at bringing some emotion to proceedings, and showing Prowse in a far more human than historical light. What’s even more impressive is that the film isn’t just about Star Wars and the controversy surrounding Prowse’s relationship with Lucasfilm, but is a full insight into who the man is, from his long career in cinema, sport and even charity, to his personal life.

Again, if you’re wanting to watch this as a fully informative and factual documentary about Prowse, I’m not entirely sure whether it’s perfect, but with that emotional insight that despite leading to a few biases, it’s so easy to become fully engrossed in this man’s story, making this so much more than a documentary that just bounces off Star Wars fever and fame.

Yes, Star Wars fans will get some really good insight into how the original trilogy was made, as well as a lot of drama and controversy that isn’t publicised quite as much nowadays, but in truth, this film is about the man at the centre of it all, and that’s what really makes it interesting. It’s a good, well-directed documentary, but the personal touch makes it that little bit more special, and that’s why I’m giving I Am Your Father a 7.6 overall.