Backwards Dad

Backwards Dad

Directed by Felix Nunez

When a washed-up music producer develops a condition that makes his mind age backwards, he must race to confront a past love and meet the son he never knew — before becoming too young to remember him at all.

Director Statement

Backwards Dad began with a question that deeply unsettled me: What if someone lost adulthood before they lost life?

At its core, the film is about memory, regret, addiction, and the fragility of identity. While the premise centers around a fictional condition called Chrono-Neural Regression — which causes Ken’s mind to age backward after a traumatic injury — the emotional experience is grounded in very real fears surrounding dementia, trauma, and losing oneself over time.

Ken is a flawed man: emotionally immature, self-destructive, and trapped in nostalgia. But as his condition worsens, the layers of ego and defense slowly disappear, revealing someone desperate for connection, forgiveness, and purpose. The tragedy of the story is that Ken discovers the possibility of fatherhood at the exact moment he becomes incapable of fully understanding it.

Visually, I wanted the film to balance grounded realism with subtle surrealism. San Diego’s bright, beautiful exterior contrasts with the emotional decay underneath. As Ken regresses mentally, the world around him gradually becomes more dreamlike, fragile, and childlike.

For me, the ending represents the emotional heart of the film: a man stripped of everything except the pure desire to connect with his son. Backwards Dad is ultimately about time moving in the wrong direction, and the painful realization that love, family, and presence are often understood too late.

Director Biography

Felix Nunez is a filmmaker and storyteller based in San Diego, California.

His work explores themes of family, identity, and redemption, often set against the backdrop of cultural intersections and moral conflict.

With a background in writing, producing, and directing, Felix brings a sharp eye for character-driven drama and a commitment to creating stories that resonate across audiences.