Sundance review: 'Third Act' is a love letter from a son to his father, and the filmmaking passion that's their family legacy

Director Tadashi Nakamura’s heartwarming documentary “Third Act” is a tribute to an unsung movie legend, an examination of a shameful period in American history, and a son’s love letter to his father.

Nakamura’s father, Robert A. Nakamura, is referred to as “the godfather of Asian American cinema.” He’s made a couple dozen movies, with one of them — a documentary, “Manzanar,” about the internment camp in California where his family was held during World War II — is in the National Film Registry. He also taught film at UCLA for many years, and inspired generations of film students. 

That’s what Tadashi wanted to cover in his film, until real life intervened. A year into shooting, Bob (as everyone calls him), was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, at age 82. So Tadashi’s focus shifted to trying to connect with his dad, both for himself and for Tadashi’s own son to know more about his grandpa.

The film also allows the generations to learn about Bob’s father, who built up a business only to have it taken away when the U.S. government sent thousands of Japanese Americans to camps for no reason other than the color of their skin. After the war, Bob’s dad went back to being a gardener — for which Bob admitted shame, something he later (and to this day) regretted.

Tadashi Nakamura talks glowingly about how he resisted following in his father’s footsteps — he played football in high school to avoid the nerdy Asian stereotypes, and says he took Bob’s filmmaking course at UCLA because at first he thought it would be an easy A. But as he fell in love with filmmaking, he says he understood better why his dad was so devoted to it. 

And, in return, Bob said he was proud of his son’s work — and agreed to appear in this movie, at first, as a way to help Tadashi’s career.

Through thoughtful interviews — often interrupted by Bob’s ailing days — and footage of trips to Manzanar and Hawaii (the Nakamura family’s favorite vacation place), “Third Act” tracks the evolution of a father-son relationship, and the love that’s the through line across the years. 

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‘Third Act’

★★★1/2

Screening in the U.S. Documentary competition of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again: Monday, January 27, 5:20 p.m., Redstone 3, Park City; Thursday, January 30, Broadway 3, Salt Lake City; Friday, January 31, 5:45 p.m., Egyptian, Park City. Online screenings Thursday, January 30, 8 a.m. to Sunday, February 2, 11:55 p.m. (All times Mountain time zone.) Not rated, but probably PG-13 for some language and racist epithets. Running time: 93 minutes.