Father Involvement of Joe Warr as a Widowed Single Father in The Boys Are Back (2009):Lamb's Fatherhood Theory
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Shelly Putri Nur Hidayah
Rindrah Kartiningsih
Hariyono
Father involvement plays an essential role in supporting children's emotional, social, and psychological development, particularly in widowed single-parent families where fathers assume full parenting responsibilities after the death of a spouse. This study aims to analyzed how Joe Warr demonstrates father involvement as a widowed single father in The Boys Are Back (2009) through the dimensions of engagement, accessibility, and responsibility. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method. The primary data consisted of selected dialogues, visual scenes, body movements, and other forms of nonverbal communication from the film. The data were collected through repeated observation, identification of relevant scenes and dialogues, categorization based on Michael E. Lamb's Fatherhood Theory, and organization into analytical tables. The data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis based on the three dimensions of father involvement proposed by Michael E. Lamb (1981): engagement, accessibility, and responsibility. The findings reveal that Joe Warr demonstrates all three dimensions throughout the film. Among them, engagement emerges as the most dominant dimension, reflected in his active participation in his children's daily activities, emotional communication, shared experiences, and continuous efforts to strengthen the father–child relationship. Accessibility and responsibility are also evident through Joe's consistent physical and emotional presence and his commitment to ensuring his children's well-being. The study concludes that father involvement extends beyond financial support and is fundamentally reflected through emotional presence, accessibility, and long-term parental commitment in the context of widowed single fatherhood.
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