The life of a footloose, free-spirited Northern Californian takes a dramatic turn when his mother tells him that the man who raised him is not his biological father. Thackary Grossman, a 39-year-old occasional carpenter and surfer, sets out to discover a new father and define his own identity. How important is it to know your biological father? And what happens when you discover that he isn’t who you thought he was? These are the questions at the heart of Thackary’s Time, a 54-minute documentary by Kathy Klausner and Beni Strebel. Klausner and Strebel, a San Francisco husband-and-wife film making team, offer an intimate look at key events in Thackary’s odyssey of discovery as he grapples with his new reality. A longtime, close friendship with Thackary gave the filmmakers unusual access to shoot the first meeting with his new-found father, Walt Tulecke, a retired Ohio biology professor in his 80s. The film finds its groove in depictions of often awkward encounters during which raw emotions are vividly captured on screen. The characters seem unfazed by the camera, even when discussing the most painful subjects. As Thackary gets to know Walt and listens to his self-justifying New-Age mother, the audience is left wondering how Thackary will deal with the new family dynamics and his role as the love child of a long-ago affair. Thackary’s search for meaning remains enigmatic, a theme underscored by a surprise ending that is one of the film’s most aesthetically powerful and poignant moments.
