An extraordinary father-son story takes an unexpected and tragic turn in Portrait of a Confused Father, offering a deeply personal (self-)portrait of renowned Norwegian documentary filmmaker Gunnar Hall Jensen. With his signature ability to explore life’s big questions he now faces his greatest challenge yet. For over two decades, he has filmed his son Jonathan’s journey from childhood to adulthood, capturing his drive to conquer the world. But as Jonathan grows older, so does the distance between them. Everything culminates when Gunnar receives the phone call every parent dreads most. This is a raw and heartbreaking story about love, loss, and a father's desperate struggle to reach his son—and himself. It’s a film about losing control, but also about never giving up hope.
Norway, France, Sweden 2025, '92
DIRECTOR: Gunnar Hall Jensen
SCENARIO: Gunnar Hall Jensen
CAMERA: Gunnar Hall Jensen, Jonathan Jensen, Måns Berthas
MONTAGE: Erlend Haarr Eriksson
MUSIC: Olivier Bodin, Benoit Daniel
PRODUCERS: Ingrid Aune Falch, Torstein Parelius, Christian Aune Falch
PRODUCTION: Upnorth Film, Big Little Story
FESTIVALS & AWARDS:
CPH:DOX (2025)
Gunnar Hall Jensen
Gunnar Hall Jensen (born 1963) is a Norwegian film and television director and screenwriter with a cand. philol. degree in media and mass communications from the University of Bergen. He is currently based in Sundsvall, Sweden. Known for his deeply personal storytelling, he gained recognition with Gunnar Goes Comfortable (2003), where he explored life through his own experiences, sparking discussions about self-disclosure. He continued his introspective journey with Gunnar Goes God (2010), documenting his visit to the world's oldest monastery in the Sahara Desert. His 2018 documentary Oh, ItHertz!, premiered at CPH:DOX 2021, examines the power of sound, exploring its use in both healing and psychological warfare. Jensen has previously screened films in competition at many festivals like including IDFA, CPH:DOX and AFI Silverdocs, and received several awards, including the Gullruten Award for Best Commissioned Film (1999) and the Swedish Film Institute's Best Documentary Film award (2002).
