Omeleto | BACON 'N' LACES | Omeleto @Omeleto | Uploaded June 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 day ago.
A blind father and his son run a diner.
BACON 'N' LACES is used with permission from Stephen Michael Simon. Learn more at https://stephenmichaelsimon.com.
John Diakakis is a single father to three boys, raising his sons while also running the diner that's been in his family for generations. John also has retinitis pigmentosa, which makes him legally blind. Yet John manages to juggle his roles as a business owner and a father with the help of his smarts, his stellar memory and his sons, who help out their father in the diner.
In particular, John's oldest son Tony, who is also the diner's short order cook, has stepped up in a big way, both at work and at home, all while maintaining top grades at school. John and Tony's relationship is exceptionally close, and they even share the same sneakerhead obsession and shoe size. But when Tony gets into Harvard and is set to leave the family nest, John faces a new horizon of challenge -- one he looks to meet with his combination of gumption, equanimity and intelligence.
Directed and written by Stephen Michael Simon, this warmly engaging short documentary is a multi-faceted, compelling portrait of a man who exceeds any stereotype of someone with a disability. John may be legally blind, but he's also a hard-working restaurant owner, a single father raising three boys and a sneaker and fine fragrance devotee. Shot with an active, dynamic eye and lively hand-held camerawork, the film is upfront about the unique challenges that John faces with his blindness, often facing them with ingenious solutions. But it also portrays John's quirks, passions, humor and his enormous love for his boys, making for a snapshot that's as fun and lively as its subject.
We see John at work, deftly navigating his work duties with an impressive memory and a series of systems that help him recall orders, ring them up and make his way around the diner. We also see John at home, living with his three sons and showing off his sizable collections of sneakers, fragrances and clothes. Throughout it all, he's funny, intelligent and down-to-earth -- a pleasure to be around.
But the heart of the film is John's relationship with his sons, particularly with Tony, his eldest. Because of John's blindness, Tony has become his "right hand." Tony is a cook at the diner; he also helps his father at home considerably. Smart, serious and grounded, Tony is mature for a teenager, a charming foil to his more scrappily ebullient father. They have a close relationship, with many funny and touching moments in the film that show how well they work together, from the diner to their impressive shared sneaker collection.
Watching these moments of father and son working and having fun together is the heart of BACON 'N' LACES, which slowly builds to a looming set of questions as Tony receives his acceptance from Harvard and begins to look ahead. John, too, must look ahead to a time when Tony won't be his right hand anymore, training the next son in line for work at the diner. Yet whatever happens, we are sure that the bonds of love and cooperation will endure, and that John has built a family that looks out for one another. As John says himself, he may have two eyes don't work, but he has "six eyes that watch out for me."
A blind father and his son run a diner.
BACON 'N' LACES is used with permission from Stephen Michael Simon. Learn more at https://stephenmichaelsimon.com.
John Diakakis is a single father to three boys, raising his sons while also running the diner that's been in his family for generations. John also has retinitis pigmentosa, which makes him legally blind. Yet John manages to juggle his roles as a business owner and a father with the help of his smarts, his stellar memory and his sons, who help out their father in the diner.
In particular, John's oldest son Tony, who is also the diner's short order cook, has stepped up in a big way, both at work and at home, all while maintaining top grades at school. John and Tony's relationship is exceptionally close, and they even share the same sneakerhead obsession and shoe size. But when Tony gets into Harvard and is set to leave the family nest, John faces a new horizon of challenge -- one he looks to meet with his combination of gumption, equanimity and intelligence.
Directed and written by Stephen Michael Simon, this warmly engaging short documentary is a multi-faceted, compelling portrait of a man who exceeds any stereotype of someone with a disability. John may be legally blind, but he's also a hard-working restaurant owner, a single father raising three boys and a sneaker and fine fragrance devotee. Shot with an active, dynamic eye and lively hand-held camerawork, the film is upfront about the unique challenges that John faces with his blindness, often facing them with ingenious solutions. But it also portrays John's quirks, passions, humor and his enormous love for his boys, making for a snapshot that's as fun and lively as its subject.
We see John at work, deftly navigating his work duties with an impressive memory and a series of systems that help him recall orders, ring them up and make his way around the diner. We also see John at home, living with his three sons and showing off his sizable collections of sneakers, fragrances and clothes. Throughout it all, he's funny, intelligent and down-to-earth -- a pleasure to be around.
But the heart of the film is John's relationship with his sons, particularly with Tony, his eldest. Because of John's blindness, Tony has become his "right hand." Tony is a cook at the diner; he also helps his father at home considerably. Smart, serious and grounded, Tony is mature for a teenager, a charming foil to his more scrappily ebullient father. They have a close relationship, with many funny and touching moments in the film that show how well they work together, from the diner to their impressive shared sneaker collection.
Watching these moments of father and son working and having fun together is the heart of BACON 'N' LACES, which slowly builds to a looming set of questions as Tony receives his acceptance from Harvard and begins to look ahead. John, too, must look ahead to a time when Tony won't be his right hand anymore, training the next son in line for work at the diner. Yet whatever happens, we are sure that the bonds of love and cooperation will endure, and that John has built a family that looks out for one another. As John says himself, he may have two eyes don't work, but he has "six eyes that watch out for me."
