Review: In ‘Great Absence,’ a son puzzles out the dad he misunderstood, now fading into dementia

When dementia takes center stage in a family, the damaging effects begin to show early on. It is during this unsettling time, when confusion reigns for everyone involved, that Japanese filmmaker Kei Chika-ura creates his poignantly sad film “Great Absence.” The story revolves around an insensitive father’s dementia and a son who was previously estranged from him, as he delves into the past in search of answers.








