All aspects of children’s development depend on their parents and other adults who they come across in their lives. Being present, giving them your full attention, and developing trust is the foundation of a successful connection with children. As your child grows, your relationship with them will also grow.
John Canemarker’s 2005 Oscar-winning animated short film ‘The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation’ is one such autobiographical animated film that focuses on a father and son having an imaginary conversation. However, it isn’t about the smooth relationship that most children have with their parents. The 30-minute documentary tells the story of an Italian immigrant’s troubled life and the terrible effects of his acts on his family. We are introduced to John Canemaker and his relationship with his father John Cannizzaro Sr. 
The film begins with a series of a conversation he has after his father passed away in 1995. The son, played by John Turturro, tells his father, played by Eli Wallach, about a dream the son had the night his father passed away, in which the kid saw his father transform into a man on the moon. From then, the film tells the story of John Sr., a labourer and World War II veteran, who abuses his wife and two sons. It also tells how the two sons’ mother always stood up for them when their father became furious.
Even though the family have had some of the best days together, the bad memories overpower the good ones. The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation then shows the ill-fated story of the consequences of the choices his father makes.
Canemaker believes in animation’s ability to convey a complicated and deeply personal story in a way completely different from other storytelling. The phases the protagonist had gone through living with his father have been well-depicted throughout.
The film uses a combination of imagination, audio recordings, family videos, cartoons, images, memory, fact and animation to tell the story. It also focuses on the central themes of assault, parent-child conflict, trauma, domestic violence, and growing up in situations like these will put a lasting effect on a family.
Canemaker once said that he made this film to resolve long-standing emotional issues he had with his late father. He wanted to understand the reasons for their troubled relationship, including why he was always a figure of terror in his childhood and why he was constantly angry and defensive, verbally and physically abusive, and frequently in problems with the law.
The narration is humourous and at the same time, it is also a thought-provoking one. It reminds us about how one should cherish, respect and love their family.
I would say that the animation is not that great. Overall, I think that watching The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation just once is okay.
