NEW YORK (CNS) -- The work of God's providence is central to the drama "A Father's Legacy" (Cinedigm), which comes to theaters for one night only June 17 as a Fathom Events presentation.

The simple yet touching story of a son searching for a dad he has never known, the film makes apt viewing for Father's Day.

Tobin Bell plays Billy, a solitary widower whose tranquil life is passed in a secluded cabin by a picturesque pond. Billy's calm routine is suddenly and dramatically interrupted one night when a young man named Nick (Jason Mac) barges into his home wielding a gun and demanding that Billy hide him from the police.

Nick needs a place to lie low after committing armed robbery. He also has to do something about the gunshot wound he sustained while carrying out the crime.

Despite his blustering manner, it soon becomes clear that Nick is no hardened felon. So Billy tends to his captor's injury and, as Nick convalesces, the two carry on conversations that become increasingly personal and revelatory.

Nick's wife, Jean (Rebeca Robles), is pregnant. She thinks he'll be a great dad but, never having known his own father, Nick himself has his doubts. Having hired a private investigator to locate his dad, Nick was driven to larceny to pay the man.

Predictably, Billy becomes a paternal figure to Nick, patiently imparting nuggets of wisdom and calling him son.

Mac, who also wrote and directed, scores big with his pairing of characters who are gruff and conflicted, yet also vulnerable and capable of showing compassion. The moments of prayer interspersed throughout his script, moreover, will be especially welcome to believing moviegoers.

As a faith-based study of familial relationships, "A Father's Legacy" could be a good conversation starter for parents and teens, despite the mildly off-color vocabulary that occasionally crops up in the dialogue.

The film contains a handful of crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

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Sister Rupprecht, a Daughter of St. Paul, is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.

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CAPSULE REVIEW

"A Father's Legacy" (Cinedigm)

Jason Mac wrote, directed and stars in this fatherhood-themed drama, playing a reluctant armed robber who, following a heist in which he was wounded, forcibly takes refuge in the secluded cabin of a solitary widower (Tobin Bell), thus dramatically interrupting the latter's tranquil routine. Recognizing that his captor is no hardened felon, the older man tends to his injury and, as the intruder convalesces, the two carry on conversations that become increasingly personal and revelatory. Mac scores big with his pairing of characters who are gruff and conflicted, yet also vulnerable and capable of showing compassion. And the moments of prayer interspersed throughout his script will be especially welcome to believing moviegoers. As a faith-based study of familial relationships, the film could be a good conversation starter for parents and teens, despite the mildly off-color vocabulary that occasionally crops up in the dialogue. A handful of crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

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CLASSIFICATION

"A Father's Legacy" (Cinedigm) -- Catholic News Service classification, A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.