Mumford's Law (2009)

Kyle Mumford grew up yearning to know where he came from. Family members had hinted about their tragic past, but no one would reveal the painful history that was deemed too awful to pass onto the next generation. Kyle's father Chris, a renowned and celebrated four-star chef, was loved and revered by his family, but refused to talk about anything that happened before Kyle was born. So, at the age of seventeen, Kyle began to follow his father around with a video camera, asking questions, pressing for details. And little by little, his father opened up, telling an incredible tale, building a narrative about him, his parents and siblings. A story that begins with a picture book childhood of love and wonder, and descends into a frightful scenario of abuse, abandonment, drugs, death and vengeance. For five years Kyle filmed his father, mother, aunt, uncle, grandfather, their friends and neighbors; and pursued the truth about his past, creating a documentary feature that not only proves to be a liberating catharsis for both father and son, but also bonds them into a close and loving union that neither could have imagined when the project started. "Mumford's Law" charts the perilous, but ultimately joyous journey of a family to grow beyond their legacy, and achieve greater love, understanding and acceptance. The film serves as a beacon for other sons and fathers and families who may wish to transcend their own troubled pasts.