The Captain’s Heart

The director sets out to understand his maternal grandfather, the late Captain Goth (1893-1966). In the process, he had to recreate the ship that was the Captain’s life and great love. Through interviews with his remaining children, mementoes from his old ships chest, photos and archival material mixed with hand-drawn animations, the film depicts a turbulent time in world history through a man willing to defy submarines, mines, bombing and shipwrecks to serve God, King and country. But after 50 years at sea, the new world no longer accords with the Captain's rules, and his heart is not as stubborn as his will. He can keep the world and its wars at bay, but he cannot control his family and their desire for freedom. Nor can he submit to the new world that has arisen from the ashes of the old. Seventeen years in the making, acclaimed storyboard artist and painter Simon Bang in his first feature documentary digs into a painful family story spanning two world wars and a life at sea.