Flag Day

Sean Penn excels on both sides of the camera in Flag Day while demonstrating that next to his offspring, father does know best.

This solidly crafted melodrama features Penn — who also directed and stars alongside both of his children — in a richly textured portrayal that adds emotional depth to an otherwise familiar examination of fractured families and the lifelong effects of absentee parenting.

Based on a true story, the film follows Jennifer (Dylan Penn), whose affection for her con-man father, John (Sean Penn), feels different as an adult than it did in childhood.

As a youngster in 1970s Minnesota, Jennifer was enamored with John’s wheeler-dealer attitude, despite his frequent departures for “business” and brief stints in prison for running afoul of the law.

Jennifer’s relationship with her alcoholic and emotionally unstable mother (Katheryn Winnick) is even more turbulent, causing her eventually leave home for good, even if that means her younger brother (Hopper Jack Penn) stays behind.

With Jennifer now a young adult, she moves back in with dad, whose latest hustle leads to him becoming one of the most notorious counterfeiters in American history.

John is a pitiful if fascinating figure, constantly making excuses and talking in circles. He seems to genuinely love his family, although he’s completely incapable or unwilling to express it honestly. “I’m an entrepreneur,” he explains. “My skill is opportunities.”

Beneath the surface dysfunction, the film captures a certain bittersweet nostalgia. However, it’s intensely introspective and downbeat, which might test moviegoer patience for what amounts to a family airing its dirty laundry.

The deliberately paced screenplay by the sibling tandem of Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (Get on Up), based on a memoir by journalist Jennifer Vogel, features some powerfully intimate moments and generates a sympathetic emotional hook as it eventually finds hope amid the despair. It benefits from strong supporting cast including Josh Brolin and Regina King.

Dylan Penn, in her first substantive big-screen role, is expressive but understated almost to a fault as she plays off her more charismatic father, who directs himself for the first time in his career. Still, Flag Day is more than just a nepotistic vanity project.

After an uneven start, the film finds a more agreeable rhythm with a tighter focus in the second half. Through some intriguing character dynamics, it confronts difficult truths with tough love.

Rated R, 108 minutes.