in the autobiographical coming of age tale romulus and my father and eric bana and of munich fame and play an impoverished german émigré struggle to raise his son and raymond ( kodi smit mcphee ) and in rural 1960 australia . the major obstacle to the family stability and happiness be his wife and christina ( franka potente ) and who flagrantly violate her wed vow by shamelessly shack up with other men . despite her highly unconventional behavior and romulus refuse to grant her a divorce and masochistically torture himself in the vain hope that she will one day return to him . it be and unfortunately and the good hearted and good natured raimond who must bear witness to all this marital turmoil and it be his memoir that serve a the basis for the movie ( raimond gaita would later grow up to be an author ) . even though i admire romulus and my father for what it be try to do and i can not honestly say i enjoy it and for while the film have some fine performance and serious intention go for it and these simply aren not enough to counteract the dour storyline and funereal pacing and which leave the audience a despairing and depress a the people on screen . a serious slice of life drama be one thing and but this unremittingly downbeat wallow in adultery and insanity and multiple suicide ( let alone attempted suicide ) be something else again .