The Father is a former combat helicopter pilot, and Aleksei attends military school where he is studying to become a sports trainer.

Regarded by some as "plotless," like many Sokurov films, Father and Son combines two narrative structures, one circular, the other linear.

[2] Father's status as Aleksei's guardian angel explains the physical closeness displayed by the two men, which has been interpreted by some as sexual intimacy.

[3] The film's linear narrative, enclosed within the circular frame, collapses into a weekend events that have occurred over time, but which Aleksei has linked together in his nightmare into a single series of events, through which he relives Father's unlimited love for him and his own failure to understand and/or appreciate that love.

[4] It also has a score of 64 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".