Of everything I watched at this year’s SXSW film festival, I Love My Dad was among the best things I saw. I’m certainly not alone in feeling this way, as the film ended up receiving the Grand Jury Award (the top prize) in the Narrative Feature Competition.

I Love My Dad is an enjoyable indie comedy that’s heartfelt and easy to connect with. This is saying a lot for a film with a very awkward setup, one that allegedly happened to writer-director-actor James Morosini. Franklin (Morosini) is a depressive high schooler who one day falls for a girl (Claudia Sulewski) who Facebook messages him out of the blue. Except, it’s not actually her he’s talking to, but his estranged father Chuck (Patton Oswalt) who’s using a fake account to reconnect with his son after being shut out of his life.

It’s a very out-there setup (and crazier still considering it’s based on true events). For it to work in movie-form, though, the audience has to understand why anyone would do that to their child. Well-meaning but self-defeating dad Chuck has clearly burned all of the emotional bridges with his son after a lifetime of no-shows and disappointments. Even though Chuck hasn’t been there for Franklin, he still wants to be in his life, especially knowing his son’s struggle with depression. What follows is a cringe-worthy comedy in which Chuck creates a fake account as a way to reconnect with his son. While it’s an insanely stupid idea, it’s clearly stemming from concern rather than cruelty, which Patton Oswalt brings to the character with sad sincerity.

We see the beginning of normal Facebook messaging between Franklin and who he thinks is the cute and kind “Becca” (Sulewski), and watch the relationship build. Rather than simply see Franklin and Chuck type and read their messages to each other, Morosini makes the stylish choice to bring Becca into the room with Franklin, and their online dialogue plays out by occupying real physical space–it kind of feels like that, doesn’t it?–on a rooftop, in the supermarket aisles. It jarringly cuts back to Franklin alone when we need to snap back into reality. It’s a clever and engaging way to tell the story.

The problem with Chuck’s plan, of course, is that the longer Chuck continues the rouse, the stronger Franklin falls for Becca. In a high-stakes and inevitable move, Franklin decides to meet Becca. Who else decides to drive him, but his nervously sweating father, Chuck. I Love My Dad takes it to the actually cringe-worthy lines when Franklin and Becca engage in deeply intimate messaging, leading to a climax involving Franklin and his dad–locked into continuing the facade–making for an awkward next morning.

Beyond being an enjoyable comedy, what makes the film emotionally engaging and smart is that Morosini doesn’t overdo these deeply uncomfortable moments but rather balances them with empathy and understanding. One can only imagine how Morosini handled that shocking WTF reveal in real life when he learned of his dad’s unintentional catfishing. But in the film, there’s impressive wisdom in how he portrays this story. It’s also an impressive study of how humans long to connect and the role that technology plays in helping and impeding that from happening.

I Love My Dad announces the arrival of new young talent James Morosini. It’s understandable why he opted to wear all the hats here, credited as the film’s screenwriter, director, and co-lead actor. Not only is the story based on his life experience, but it’s one that’s so comically awkward that you really do need that person to tell the story.

I Love My Dad combines a variety of honest human storytelling: humor, sadness, and our need to connect while also showing how technology helps and impedes that from happening. Kudos to the now 30-year-old filmmaker, who has successfully turned a traumatizing episode into an entertaining, heartfelt, and charming indie feature.

This review originally ran on March 21, 2022, during the SXSW Film Festival.