電影由十歲小女生Toda的角度出發，講述一個關於戰爭的故事。從小像溫室小花一樣活在身為糕餅師爸爸的保護之下，從未想過爸爸會因為被徵召出征而離開身旁。祖母不忍Toda繼續留在危險的鎮上，所以計劃把Toda送到媽媽的身邊。但卻非遇非人，弄得Toda身無分文地獨自踏上尋找媽媽的旅程。雖沒有能力可以代父從軍，但Toda亦以不輸於花木蘭般的勇氣面對難關。戰爭、難民、語言障礙等，電影中的故事看似沉重，但導演卻以輕快的節奏，以孩童角度拍出成年人如何處理複雜議題。

The Day My Father Became a Bush tells a story of war as seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old girl. Young Toda has a relatively carefree life. When conflict breaks out between the “Ones” and the “Others”, her father is conscripted to go off to fight, which leaves Toda in the care of her grandmother. The town becomes an active war zone, and Toda’s grandmother arranges for her to travel secretly across the border to a neighbouring country where her mother lives. However, the plan is ruined by corrupt officials, and Toda must flee, penniless, to find her mother on her own. Director Nicole van Kilsdonk portrays a number of complex adult issues – war, the politics of refugee status, and the on-the-ground realities of national borders and language barriers – but imbues this portrayal with a childlike sensibility. Harsh as these topics may be, the memorable story of resilience comes to life in a very touching manner. The Day My Father Became a Bush makes a powerful, universal statement about what is happening in the world as displacement, fear, and forced migration challenge an increasingly globalized humanity.