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Daddy Issues (2019) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Daddy Issues (2019) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2019 · 81 min · English
Echo score 61
Directed by
Amara Cash
Starring
Monte Markham, Andrew Pifko, J.J. Hawkins, Jodi Carol Harrison, Kamala Jones, Lissa Danshaw

A whimsical 19-year-old artist named Maya begins an exciting romance with Jasmine, an enigmatic fashion designer known for their androgynous style. As their connection deepens, Maya experiences her first true love, and Jasmine finds renewed creative inspiration. However, the relationship faces challenges when long-held secrets emerge, leading to a poignant exploration of toxic dynamics and the importance of trust.

On this page (9)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (5)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like Daddy Issues
  8. 8 Categories
  9. 9 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Daddy Issues (2019)

Where can you watch Daddy Issues? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Hoopla, Tubi TV and Xumo Play: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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5 main characters · contains spoilers

Daddy Issues Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Daddy Issues (2019), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Maya Mitchell (Madison Lawlor)

    A nineteen-year-old aspiring artist who feels stifled at home and longs for artistic study in Florence. Her online romance with Jasmine marks a step toward independence, though she becomes entangled in a dangerous triangle when she discovers Jasmine’s affair with Simon and that Simon is her father.

    • 🎭 Creative
    • 💔 Complicated relationships
    • 🧭 Self-discovery
  • Jasmine Jones (Montana Manning)

    Maya's online partner who moves in and becomes part of the love triangle. She navigates a relationship with Maya while secretly continuing an affair with Dr. Simon, and later ends the relationship under strain, while also being financially tied to Simon.

    • 💫 Complex relationships
    • 💰 Financial ties
    • 🕵️‍♀️ Secrets
  • Dr. Simon Craw (Andrew Pifko)

    A drug-addicted doctor who manipulates relationships, funds Jasmine, and maintains a secret father-daughter bond with Maya. His actions drive the narrative toward revelation and rupture.

    • 💊 Addiction
    • 🕴️ Power dynamics
    • 💔 Infidelity
  • Gordon Craw (Monte Markham)

    Simon's father who participates in annual dinners, symbolizing old-world patriarchal expectations and a distant, controlling influence on the family. His presence frames the generational tensions at play.

    • 👴 Family history
    • 🏛️ Patriarchy
    • 🗺️ Generational gap
  • Danielle Mitchell (Kamala Jones)

    Maya's mother, who has lied about her father's contact and benefited from child support, contributing to the family’s web of deception and the sense of betrayal that fuels Maya's rebellion.

    • 🧩 Family secrets
    • 💸 Financial manipulation
    • 🗣️ Deception

Last updated: March 05, 2026 at 18:11

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Setting

Where and When Does Daddy Issues Take Place?

The setting of Daddy Issues (2019): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Location

Maya's family home, Florence, Italy

The action alternates between the intimate space of Maya's family home and the vibrant streets of Florence. Florence serves as the aspirational backdrop for Maya's artistic growth and eventual success in her clothing line. A garage-turned-child bedroom, used by Simon, embodies a private space where troubling dynamics unfold.

  • 🏠 Domestic setting
  • 🗺️ Florence cityscape
  • 🎨 Artistic spaces

Last updated: March 05, 2026 at 18:11

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3 major themes

Daddy Issues Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Daddy Issues (2019) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Forbidden Love

    A central thread is the tangled romance that crosses generations and moral boundaries: Maya's relationship with Jasmine, and Jasmine's affair with Simon, who turns out to be Maya's father. The revelation shatters perceived loyalties and exposes the fragility of trust.

  • Art Identity

    Maya uses art and fashion as a path to self-definition and escape from family chaos. Her ambition to study in Florence and launch a clothing line highlights how creativity becomes a route to empowerment and transformation.

  • Betrayal

    The relationships are driven by secrets, lies, and unequal power dynamics. The mother's deception, the father's hidden ties, and Jasmine's financial dependence illuminate how desire can be weaponized and how truth emerges only through confrontation.

Last updated: March 05, 2026 at 18:11

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Character & theme questions

Daddy Issues Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Daddy Issues (2019): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where does the story take place?

The movie primarily takes place in two locations: Maya's family home in the United States and Florence, Italy. Florence serves as the aspirational backdrop for Maya's artistic growth and eventual success with her clothing line, representing her dreams of independence and creative fulfillment.

  • florence
  • italy
  • setting
  • family home
  • maya's house
Q2

What are the main themes explored?

The movie explores three interconnected themes: Forbidden Love, which centers on a tangled romance that crosses generational and moral boundaries; Art Identity, which follows Maya's use of fashion as a path to self-definition and escape from family chaos; and Betrayal, which examines how secrets, lies, and unequal power dynamics poison the relationships between characters.

  • forbidden love
  • art identity
  • betrayal
  • themes
  • trust
Q3

Who is Maya Mitchell?

Maya Mitchell is a nineteen-year-old aspiring artist who feels stifled at home and longs to study art in Florence. She begins an online romance with Jasmine that becomes her first true love, but she later discovers Jasmine has been having an affair with her father, Simon, creating a devastating love triangle.

  • maya mitchell
  • main character
  • artist
  • protagonist
Q4

Who is Jasmine and what is her role?

Jasmine is Maya's romantic partner who moves in with her and becomes part of the love triangle. She has an androgynous style as a fashion designer and navigates a relationship with Maya while secretly continuing an affair with Dr. Simon. Jasmine is also financially dependent on Simon, which complicates her position in the story.

  • jasmine
  • love interest
  • fashion designer
  • maya's partner
Q5

Who is Dr. Simon Craw?

Dr. Simon Craw is a drug-addicted doctor who manipulates those around him. He funds Jasmine's lifestyle and maintains a secret father-daughter relationship with Maya, whom he abandoned when she was young. His actions drive the narrative toward the central revelation that shatters the characters' perceived loyalties.

  • simon craw
  • father
  • doctor
  • manipulator
  • maya's dad
Q6

What does the title refer to?

The title "Daddy Issues" refers to the film's exploration of Maya's complicated relationship with her absent father, Dr. Simon Craw. The phrase also alludes to the generational dysfunction and toxic dynamics that emerge when Maya discovers her romantic partner has been secretly involved with her father.

  • title meaning
  • daddy issues
  • father daughter relationship
  • family trauma
Q7

How does art and fashion play into the story?

Art and fashion serve as Maya's path to self-definition and escape from family chaos. Her ambition to study in Florence and launch a clothing line represents how creativity becomes a route to empowerment and transformation. Jasmine, as a fashion designer, also finds renewed creative inspiration through her relationship with Maya.

  • art
  • fashion
  • clothing line
  • florence
  • creativity
  • maya's ambition
Q8

What genre and tone does the film have?

Daddy Issues is a Drama with a predominantly bittersweet tone. It balances emotional discoveries with setbacks, using steady pacing driven by gradual revelations that heighten tension. The emotional weight is heavy due to themes of betrayal, toxic dynamics, and familial dishonesty.

  • drama
  • bittersweet tone
  • emotional
  • genre
Q9

Who is Gordon Craw?

Gordon Craw is Simon's father who participates in annual family dinners. He symbolizes old-world patriarchal expectations and represents a distant, controlling influence on the family. His presence frames the generational tensions at play throughout the story.

  • gordon craw
  • grandfather
  • patriarch
  • family dinner
  • generational
Q10

Who is Danielle Mitchell?

Danielle Mitchell is Maya's mother, who has lied about Maya's father's contact and benefited from child support. Her deception contributes to the family's web of betrayal and fuels Maya's rebellion against the family's dysfunction.

  • danielle mitchell
  • mother
  • deception
  • betrayal
  • family secrets
Q11

What relationships are central to the story?

The central relationships include Maya and Jasmine's romantic partnership, Jasmine's secret affair with Dr. Simon, and the revealed father-daughter bond between Simon and Maya. The mother's deception about the father's identity and the family's web of secrets create the tension that drives the narrative.

  • love triangle
  • affair
  • father daughter relationship
  • family relationships

Movie threads

More Movies Like Daddy Issues, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Daddy Issues tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Bittersweet Romances with Heavy Secrets like Daddy Issues

Intense love stories where hidden truths slowly unravel a passionate connection. If you liked the emotional unraveling in Daddy Issues, explore movies like it that feature intense, character-driven romances where hidden truths and toxic dynamics lead to a poignant, bittersweet conclusion. These films share a similar focus on trust, betrayal, and the heavy emotional fallout of secrets.

  • melancholic
  • tense
  • dramatic
  • uneasy
  • romantic
  • emotional
  • Tone: bittersweet, melancholic, tense
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically follow two characters drawn into a powerful romantic or intimate bond. The initial connection is intense and often artistically or emotionally inspiring. However, the core of the narrative is the steady, often painful, peeling back of layers to reveal secrets—be they personal histories, betrayals, or hidden identities—that fundamentally challenge the relationship's foundation, leading to a dramatic and bittersweet reckoning.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here because they share a specific emotional recipe: a central romance with high emotional stakes, a steady pacing that builds tension through revelation rather than action, a melancholic and complex tone, and a narrative arc that prioritizes the emotional damage and bittersweet growth that comes from confronting painful truths within a relationship.

Movies about Artistic Melancholy and Toxic Intimacy like Daddy Issues

Stories where creative passion intertwines with emotionally complex and damaging relationships. For viewers who appreciated the artistic backdrop and complex relationship dynamics in Daddy Issues, this section features similar movies. Discover films where creative worlds collide with personal drama, exploring themes of inspiration, manipulation, and the bittersweet outcomes of intense, flawed connections.

  • melancholic
  • dramatic
  • complex
  • artistic
  • tense
  • uneasy
  • Tone: melancholic, dramatic, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady, atmospheric
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread often place characters within creative milieus (art, fashion, music, writing) where their personal relationships become a source of both inspiration and profound conflict. The story unfolds through a lens of melancholy, examining how intimacy can be both creatively stimulating and personally destructive. The pacing allows for deep character exploration, focusing on the psychological and emotional nuances of power imbalances, roleplay, and emotional manipulation within the relationship.

Why they belong together: These films are linked by a shared atmosphere of artistic melancholy and a central exploration of intimacy that borders on or crosses into toxicity. They prioritize mood and character complexity over plot mechanics, often featuring a bittersweet tone, steady dramatic pacing, and themes of betrayal, roleplay, and the messy intersection of love and art.

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Movies Like Daddy Issues

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Categories

Movie Lists Featuring Daddy Issues

Daddy Issues appears in these hand-built movie categories. Each one groups movies by a specific mood, theme or story type, with their plot summaries and endings explained.

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Every angle

Daddy Issues (2019) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Daddy Issues in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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