Paternal Leave

Fifteen-year-old Leo has grown up in Germany without knowing her father. Torn between longing and anger, she travels to the northern Italian coast to meet him, and the two are strangers to each other when they come face to face. Her biological father, Paolo, is unsettled by her sudden arrival and tries to balance this new relationship with the family he already has. What begins as Leo's search for answers turns into a wish to be part of his life, while both wrestle with the consequences of past choices.

Paternal Leave is a German-Italian drama released in May 2025 and running 113 minutes. It is directed and written by Alissa Jung, with Viola Fügen, Cécile Tollu-Polonowski and Michael Weber producing for companies including RAI Cinema, The Match Factory, Vision Distribution and Wildside. Juli Grabenhenrich plays Leo opposite Luca Marinelli as Paolo, with Arturo Gabbriellini, Joy Falletti Cardillo, Gaia Rinaldi and Stefano Pelloni in supporting roles.

On TMDB the film holds a rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 58 votes, a modest reception from a limited number of viewers.