Katja Benrath's Ein Zimmer für Papa considers the difficulties of a separated family through Jonas, a professionally successful man whose role as a father has been considerably less successful. David Rott plays a parent trying to become more present after a long absence.
His daughter Laila, played by Indira Corrales Ehlers, lives with her mother Shari in Hamburg and wants more time with him. Jonas moves into shared accommodation intended to help separated fathers stay near their children. The arrangement supplies a practical setting for a story concerned with emotional distance.
The father-daughter relationship is the center of the film. Corrales Ehlers convincingly expresses a child's longing for her father, and Rott makes Jonas' sense of being overwhelmed credible. Laila's wish that her parents might reunite is especially affecting.
Sabrina Amali gives Shari a convincing mixture of caution and hope. Repeated disappointments have made her wary of Jonas, but she still wants a better relationship between him and their daughter. That conflict adds emotional density without turning her into an obstacle for the father's redemption.
The story is sometimes predictable. Jonas' movement from distant parent to responsible father follows an established pattern, and the subplot involving his girlfriend Kim remains rather pale. Natural, unobtrusive camerawork and restrained music support the more intimate scenes.
Ein Zimmer für Papa is a sensitive film that respects the problems of separated families. Its structure is conventional, but the performances and the subject give it an honest emotional impact.