THE SON - Fan Page

[jo]

A new review on IMDB --

8/10

The Son - A Challenge
krocheav8 October 2023
This production has its unfair share of predictable criticisms, but most of them show a shallow interpretation. As if this hugely complex theme can be summed up by superficial observances. It's impossible to put everyone in a box, with a neat label when we all have such different experiences of growing to maturity. This story, no matter how it's analysed, is head and shoulders above so many of the last two years' offerings. Sincere performances by all carry it through any possible shaky situations, with heartrendingly accurate interpretations - regardless of perhaps a little manipulation (that is, if it can even be called that...?)

Is it perhaps too slick for certain critics to take seriously (might this be part of it for some?) While it could be a theme some people might choose not to see, perhaps more should see it. There are certain sequences so painstakingly played that it looks as if they might fall over, but these professional performers carry the emotional impact to surprising effect. Young Australian performer Zen McGrath is impressive in the difficult role of the son struggling with depression.

For some members of the cast, this will be the second phase in their screen careers, but they prove totally up for it. And when in the hands of a master writer/director like Florien Zeller (The Father '17), not a great deal can go too far wrong. Award winning British cinematographer Ben Smithard (Goodbye Christopher Robin '17) is at hand to create the dazzling imagery, with veteran Hans Zimmer (The Lion King) adding the effective music score. If nit-picking, I might wonder if the visual device featuring the washing machine fully worked (?) Otherwise, a moving and professional experience.

[jo]

From IMDB --

8/10
The Son - A Challenge
krocheav8 October 2023

This production has its unfair share of predictable criticisms, but most of them show a shallow interpretation. As if this hugely complex theme can be summed up by superficial observances. It's impossible to put everyone in a box, with a neat label when we all have such different experiences of growing to maturity. This story, no matter how it's analysed, is head and shoulders above so many of the last two years' offerings. Sincere performances by all carry it through any possible shaky situations, with heartrendingly accurate interpretations - regardless of perhaps a little manipulation (that is, if it can even be called that...?)

Is it perhaps too slick for certain critics to take seriously (might this be part of it for some?) While it could be a theme some people might choose not to see, perhaps more should see it. There are certain sequences so painstakingly played that it looks as if they might fall over, but these professional performers carry the emotional impact to surprising effect. Young Australian performer Zen McGrath is impressive in the difficult role of the son struggling with depression.

For some members of the cast, this will be the second phase in their screen careers, but they prove totally up for it. And when in the hands of a master writer/director like Florien Zeller (The Father '17), not a great deal can go too far wrong. Award winning British cinematographer Ben Smithard (Goodbye Christopher Robin '17) is at hand to create the dazzling imagery, with veteran Hans Zimmer (The Lion King) adding the effective music score. If nit-picking, I might wonder if the visual device featuring the washing machine fully worked (?) Otherwise, a moving and professional experience.

[jo]

On Va Pas En Pondre Un Comics 🐣
@ov2puc
Parce que Hugh Jackman n'est pas qu'une paire de griffes. Magnifique 🥺
-The Son-
Actuellement sur
@canalplus

#film #HughJackman #FlorianZeller #HansZimmer



Translated from French by Google:

Because Hugh Jackman isn't just a pair of claws. Magnificent 🥺
-The Son-
Currently on
@canalplus

#film #HughJackman #FlorianZeller #HansZimmer

[jo]

Now on French TV --

CineHD🎬
@cinehdfr
Hugh Jackman livre une performance à couper le souffle qui vous laisse les larmes aux yeux pendant près de 2 heures. J'étais tendu pendant 1h50.

La fin ? Dévastatrice. Un film intéressant malgré quelques prévisibilités.

The Son c'est dispo sur
@canalplus



Translated from French by Google:

Hugh Jackman delivers a breathtaking performance that leaves you with tears in your eyes for almost 2 hours. I was tense for 1 hour 50 minutes.

The end ? Devastating. An interesting film despite some predictability.

The Son is available on
@canalplus

[jo]

GalloRom1 #EAFC24🎮🍿
@gallorom1_972
J'ai regardé
"The Son" de Florian Zeller 🇫🇷

Et dire que pendant des années on a vécu pareil avec la dépression de ma sœur 😣
Dieu merci on a PAS eu la même fin que dans le film🙏

Cet ascenseur émotionnel à la fin 🥺🥺🥺
Encore bravo pour ce chef-d'œuvre Mr Zeller



Translated from French by Google:


I watched
“The Son” by Florian Zeller 🇫🇷

And to think that for years we experienced the same with my sister's depression 😣
Thank God we DID NOT have the same ending as in the film 🙏

This emotional elevator at the end 🥺🥺🥺
Congratulations again for this masterpiece Mr Zeller

[jo]

La tête dans les ☁️
@lepensif_
Ce film.. quel claque.
La prestation de Hugh Jackman est folle.
Le film prends aux tripes, tu plonges directement dedans. C’est presque troublant car on a l’impression que tout est vrai.
Il y’a le risque de s’attaquer au sujet de la dépression chez les jeunes adolescents.


Translated from French by Google:


This film... what a blast.
Hugh Jackman's performance is crazy.
The film grabs you in the gut, you dive straight into it. It's almost unsettling because it feels like everything is true.
There is the risk of tackling the subject of depression in young adolescents.

[jo]

Polls for Life
@poll_today

26m
Did this look from Hugh Jackman hurt your soul?






JoAB
@joab46466753
The Son is a movie that leaves you with some deep thoughts on how a father tries to help his son who is hurting from his parents' divorce. HughJackman put himself in the shoes of a father and also a son ( who suffered from the cruelty of his own father). Did he succeed or not?

[jo]

Javier López 🇯🇴
@lopezmenacho
64. EL HIJO. De Florian Zeller
Un dramón que aborda un tema importante que se agudizó tras la pandemia, la salud mental de los adolescentes. Es tramposa y en algún momento casi inverosímil, pero Hugh Jackman está magnífico y logra, por momentos, tocarte la patata.

Google translation :

THE SON. By Florian Zeller
A drama that addresses an important issue that became more acute after the pandemic, the mental health of adolescents. It's tricky and at some point almost implausible, but Hugh Jackman is magnificent and manages, at times, to touch your nerve.

[jo]

The movie continues to draw comments on social media. Good for everyone!

Van Gomes
@donavanvan
Se vc tá passando por qualquer questão de ansiedade, depressão, instabilidade emocional… não assista esse filme. É só isso que tenho a dizer. Nas primeiras cenas vc entende o que tá rolando e o final… E Hugh Jackman sempre entregando boas atuações.

Translated from Portuguese (also widely spoken in Brazil) by Google:

If you are experiencing any issues of anxiety, depression, emotional instability... don't watch this film. That's all I have to say. In the first scenes you understand what's going on and the ending... And Hugh Jackman always delivers good performances.




JoAB
@joab46466753

Replying to
@donavanvan
Maybe it might be good for them to see it, but accompanied by someone w/ whom they can discuss the film&what could be its lessons for them? The more discussions there will be, the better to deepen their appreciation of how familial issues can degenerate to mental health concerns?

[jo]

The movie continues to encourage more thinking on the serious effect of family issues on its members.

@devotoalatv
Cruda y muy fuerte El hijo con Hugh Jackman y Laura Dern es el ejemplo de mirar hacia otra parte no sirve de nada y el amor, aunque indispensable, no es suficiente Drama
Muy bueno por
@primevideolat
#ElHijo

Translated from Spanish by Google

Raw and very strong The Son with Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern is the example of looking elsewhere is of no use and love, although indispensable, is not enough
Drama Very good
for @primevideolat
#ElHijo

[jo]

Benito
@normanbenito
Faut regarder le film ‘ the son’ de Hugh jackman qui traite de la dépression chez les ados! Très puissant le film

Translated from French by Google:

You have to watch the film 'The Son' by Hugh Jackman which deals with depression in teenagers! Very powerful film
9:30 AM · Nov 19, 2023




JoAB
@joab46466753
·
44s
Central character Peter( HughJackman),both a father& a son, represents the family's reaction to the effects of adolescent depression. But was love for his son the best way to approach this complex mental health problem? His own story reflected the same issue of familial neglect.

[jo]

Adriano Caporusso 🎄🧑‍🎄
@adricaporusso
·
42m
Some cool battle sequences can't save #Napoleon from the monstrosity that it is. Joaquin Phoenix phones it in in an ugly, disengaging film with a horrid script. This film is the product of a director whose head is so far up his own ass, he can't see the slog he's shitting out.




Polls for Life
@poll_today
Who gave a worse performance - Joaqhin Phoenix in Napoleon or Hugh Jackman in The Son? And which movie do you think is worse - Napoleon or The Son?





JoAB
@joab46466753
·
13m
HughJackman's portrayal is excellent in THE SON. He delivered on the role of a father who, while loving his son fully, could not appreciate that his later neglect was a main cause of his son's depression...forgotten that his own experience with his father bore a lifelong scar.




JoAB
@joab46466753
·
11m
Hugh Jackman won a GoldenGlobe nod for his role...and was cited in the Cinemaroma festival in Nice for acting honors in the movie. Social media & IMDB ratings also cite his performance in The Son as exceptional.

[jo]

The movie continues to draw fans!

Pomona Rewind
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY (THE SON)
- December 04, 2023

First we had 'The Father'.

Now Florian Zeller has given us 'The Son'.

Surely it's only a matter of time before the French playwright turned director gives us 'The Holy Ghost'?

'The Son' sees Zeller reunite with the English screenwriter Christopher Hampton, cinematographer Ben Smithard and film editor Yorgos Lamprinos after their last collaboration 'The Father' scooped two Oscars in 2021 out of a possible six.

© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
Hampton won Adapted Screenplay, while Anthony Hopkins pulled off the big shock of the night by beating the recently deceased and strongly fancied Chadwick Boseman to the Best Actor prize.

Hopkins returns for a brief but effective cameo in Zeller's follow up movie which is typically ponderous family relationship drama.



'The Son,' however, very much belongs to Hugh Jackman who, after landing a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, should count himself unlucky that he did not make the Best Actor shortlist at this year's Academy Awards.

Jackman plays Peter Miller, a hot shot lawyer in Manhattan whose career is going gangbusters to the point where it could land him a role advising a Presidential campaign.

© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
Wearing sharp suits and working in an office with a stunning view of the Chrysler Building, Peter has just fathered a baby boy named Theo with Vanessa Kirby's Beth who he recently married.



However it is the fallout from his first marriage that preoccupies him.

At the start of Zeller's handsomely made film, Peter's first wife, Laura Dern's Kate calls unexpectedly at the door of his new family's apartment.

She's in a state of distress because her relationship with Peter's other son, Zen McGrath's Nicholas appears to have fragmented.

© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
Nicholas has become sullen and withdrawn but this isn't just typical teenage stuff.

Kate's been shocked to hear from Nicholas's school that he has been playing truant for a month.

Unable to connect with her son anymore, Kate agrees to him living with Peter, Beth and Theo in the hope that it will bring him out of his shell and rescue him from his depression.

Beth reluctantly goes along with the plan, as Peter grabs the opportunity to connect with his son, finding Nicholas a new school.



© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
While there is a temporary lift in mood, it soon becomes clear that Peter and Kate's divorce has taken its toll on Nicholas and has stirred up profound emotions.

Peter is disturbed when Beth discovers Nicholas has been self-harming.

Tension mounts in the family home as demands from work threaten to pull Peter away from his obligation to help Nicholas and also raise Theo with Beth.

As Nicholas and Peter's relationship is tested, it causes the lawyer to also question his relationship with his own father, Anthony Hopkins' Anthony who lives in Washington DC.

© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
With Nicholas' behaviour continuing to spiral, will his destructive behaviour ultimately destroy the family?

'The Son' is a typically heavyweight drama from Zeller that tests not just it's cast and crew but its audience too.




It's the kind of emotionally charged movie that might once have thrived at the Oscars.

In fact it's like a slick 21st Century fusion of 'Kramer versus Kramer' and 'Ordinary People' - movies that Academy voters rewarded handsomely.

© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
Jackman undeniably delivers the best performance of his career as Peter wrestles with the demands of being a father in the worst possible circumstances for a lawyer juggling a high powered career.

You can see how being a father and imparting parental wisdom and guidance sits uncomfortably with him, as the Australian actor delivers a nuanced, highly charged and very intelligent performance.

Dern, Kirby and Hopkins turn in committed, occasionally sparky supporting performances, while veteran English actor Hugh Quarshie is effective in the final third of the film as Nicholas's therapist Dr Harris.

The other big performance in the film is, of course, McGrath's and he is well up to the task of portraying a troubled, floundering teenager.

© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
It's a role that Leonardo diCaprio in his younger days or Timothee Chalamet would have relished.

And it's a relief to see McGrath holding his own in distinguished acting company.



Adapted by Hampton from Zeller's 2018 stage play of the same name which premiered in Paris before being performed in London's West End a year later, it's slickly shot by Ben Smithard in dark 'Succession' palettes.

Zeller and his cinematographer make great use of their interiors, with the mise en scene and positioning of the cast often illustrating the distance between them and the hollowness of seemingly successful lives.

© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
As good as 'The Father' was, it is to Zeller and Hampton's credit that 'The Son' feels more like a movie unlike it's predecessor which struggled to shake off its theatrical origins.

It also helps that there are more locations.

This enables 'The Son' to breathe like a movie in its own right.

Oscar fanatics will know, however, times have changed in the Academy and so have voters' tastes.



© Sony Pictures Classics, STX Films, Black Bear Pictures and UGC Distribution
Movies that once seemed destined to make a splash during awards season no longer do so in the rush to reward more quirky fare like 'Everything, Everywhere, All At Once'.

For all its pluses, 'The Son' seems to have fallen victim this year to the fact that its narrative was just too conventional for awards season tastes.

Nevertheless its a good fil that tells its story with real class.

Getting the mix right in terms of substance and style, surely it deserves not just our admiration but applause?

('The Son' was released in UK and Irish cinemas on February 17, 2023)

[jo]

Cine Revius
@cinerevius
El Hijo: Hugh Jackman brinda la mejor actuación del año en un drama muy bien escrito que tan solo peca de pulsar algunas teclas con demasiada intensidad en su tramo final. La cinta ha recibido poco amor para su innegable calidad y se compara demasiado con la joya que fue El Padre

Translated from Spanish by Google:

The Son: Hugh Jackman gives the best performance of the year in a very well-written drama that only suffers from pressing some keys too intensely in its final stretch. The film has received little love for its undeniable quality and is compared too much to the gem that was The Father


·
Replying to @cinerevius

JoAB
@joab46466753
·
1s
The Son has its own merit in pursuing a dark familial drama dealing w/ mental health issues of the adolescent. More directed towards provoking discussions on this societal concern. HughJackman deserved an Oscar nod for his portrayal of the central character,both a father & a son!

[jo]

Reviews continue to be added at IMDB --

9/10
A Domestic Tragedy
lavatch25 December 2023

Warning: Spoilers

From the very beginning of "The Son," it was apparent that we were watching a case study, not merely a fictional narrative of a domestic nightmare.

Neither Peter nor his ex-wife Kate are to blame for the clinical depression of their deeply troubled son Nicholas. While their divorce may have been a contributing factor to their son's pain, the filmmakers have developed a more profound appraisal of mental illness for which often there is not a pat explanation.

The best scene in the film occurred in the hospital where the parents must make a wrenching decision of whether to keep their son institutionalized or to bring him home. The film audience must wrestle with that decision right along with the parents.

The performers hit all the right notes with authenticity and emotional depth. As always, Anthony Hopkins turns in stellar work in is small part as Peter's domineering father. His scene was important as it sets the stage for Peter's realization that he really was no different or any better as a father than the man he was striving leave behind in his life.

This was an unusual film for the absence of a political agenda and for the courage to address a topic that is for the most part taboo. Bravo!

[jo]

Interesting review from a trained psychiatrist --

9/10
This sure doesn't look like a story that will have a happy ending!
planktonrules10 January 2024
"The Son" is interesting because it is based on a play...and the director, Florian Zeller, actually directed the movie as well!

Peter (Hugh Jackman) is far from a perfect father. He cheated on his wife and ended up leaving her and his son. He's also a man who seems to always be working and being called out of town for work. So, when his ex-wife (Laura Dern) calls to tell him that their son is in trouble, he tries to help...on his own terms. The boy has been skipping school for a month and clearly is maladjusted and you would think Peter would drop everything to make sure the boy is okay. Instead, he has his son move in with him and his new wife but never really gets to the heart of the boy's anger and serious depression. Nicholas clearly is furious at his father for leaving him and divorcing...but instead Peter focuses on the symptoms the boy is exhibiting. Not surprisingly, things do get a lot worse. How worse? See the film.

This is far from a 'feel good' movie. But I appreciate how realistic it is, as few movies talk about the impact of divorce and overworking have on kids. Because of this, the film might serve to warn parents (hopefully) about what might happen in such situations.

I was very impressed as I watched the movie...partly because I am a trained psychotherapist and saw how truthful the story was. I appreciate the research that went into making this movie and love the way that Zeller dealt with the story. He really nailed the way therapy goes and how psychiatric hospitalization goes...which is rare for movies. But be forewarned...it's often tough to watch...particularly later in the story.

By the way, Anthony Hopkins plays a small but interesting role. When Peter is unable to cope with his son's problems, he goes to his father (Hopkins) for help. His father is unbelievably cold and awful...and it makes you appreciate that Peter is actually trying very hard but never was given any sort of guidance himself as he grew. After all, it's not like being a great dad or mom just comes naturally.

Overall, a tough to watch film which isn't a happy story by any stretch...but it's a great film because it dares to be real and talk about stuff we just don't like to think about or consider. I also think that much of the reason for its mediocre overall score of 6.4 is likely because the film isn't pleasant nor does it try to be...and can't be in a case like this.

[jo]

Written by someone who suffered from mild depression!
IMDB --

10/10
Exquisite! Prepare the tissues
coquettedesigns3 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This movie made me and my husband cry our eyes out, watching it with our now 5 year old son, who, as Peter says about Nicholas in the end, is a "very smart, sensible, boy". I think this is a movie every parent needs to see and understand with an open heart. I think we should never take life for granted, never think that it's not going to happen to you or your loved ones. As someone who battled with mild depression, I understand not feeling like you can face life anymore. But for those who can't or won't or don't understand depression (not that it's explainable), I think Peter's actions and reactions as a father, and the dialogue was on point! When he says "what is wrong with you" or "what is it in your life that is so hard?" and yells at him, the actor playing Nicholas does exceptionally in portraying what he was actually feeling: he wanted to talk to his dad, but was afraid at the same time that he wouldn't understand. Which he didn't. And although most criticize how the director portrayed this (that there were clear red flags, that the father should have seen it coming etc) i think it was ON POINT as so so many people, parents or not, just don't know how to deal with someone suffering from depression.

The ending for me was the cherry on top, although I saw it coming a mile away. My husband said "there's no way there's such a sombre ending", and I said "then you don't trully understand depression". And the final scenes, clearly set a few years forward, Peter has a conversation with Nicholas who is still the same age. And he breaks down because he was such a smart and sensitive boy, he could have done so much with his life, if only he would have seen the red flags and try to help him. A guilt he would be carrying for the rest of his life.

[jo]

I keep getting back to this movie... mainly because of some personal reactions on IMDB...but I did not realize how much more personally-appreciated and deeply discussed this topin on comments on the trailer on YouTube.


Hollywood was so blind! The critics were so blind! The Oscar nominators were so blind!





You can go through the comments ( some 751 of them which are nearly unanimous in their reactions; a lot of sharing of personal experiences; a lot of unexpected reactions to such a beautiful but truly sad movie!).

I wish Hugh, Florian & the rest of the cast could find the time to read these readers comments -- they would know that their work had borne fruit in reaching people who have had to deal with it or observers of such a sad phenomenon in present-day culture.


Lastly, a word of praise for Hugh Jackman's acting that I have not appreciated before :

"Hugh Jackman with his commanding voice gives color to all emotions!"


JO

[jo]

I did not know that Sony released a clip covering the first 10 minutes from the movie. I have just watched it -- and it is excellent promotional material to encourage people to see it.



When I go back to the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it is very difficult for me to understand how dense most of the critics were. Except for some top critics who understood the essence of the movie, most dispensed it as worthless. Why - did they want a medical procedural and a happy ending? This is not that! It is a movie that will invite more questions as they relate to real life.

To me, the loss of bonding of father & son (compare the little boy's life when he was young and his Dad was teaching him how to swim ( he felt so loved and protected)... versus the life he now leads where his Dad sought another life and another family-- that felt to him that his world had crashed.

Jo

[jo]

The Variety review by Peter Debruge is one of the most penetrating look at the intent of the movie and its key characters. I guess I did not fully appreciate it when I first read it when the movie was released but given how much of feedback from audiences I have now read -- it takes on a different and deeper meaning to me.

HOME
FILM
REVIEWS
Sep 7, 2022 10:15am PT
‘The Son’ Review: Hugh Jackman Goes Deep in ‘The Father’ Director’s Devastating Follow-up
On the strength of his 2020 Oscar win, playwright-turned-helmer Florian Zeller assembles a stellar cast — including newcomer Zen McGrath — to explore another dimension of mental health.


By Peter Debruge

Plus Icon
The Son
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

From Sophocles to Shakespeare, it all comes back to family. Writers can get as high-concept as they like, but in the end, the world’s greatest storytellers recognize that nothing is more potent — not even romantic love — than the connections between children and their parents. Florian Zeller gets it. Before turning his attention to the screen, the gifted French scribe wrote at least a dozen plays, the most acclaimed of which were a trilogy focusing on how mental health issues devastate seemingly functional bourgeois families: “The Mother” (depression), “The Father” (dementia) and “The Son” (you’ll see).

Onstage, his strategy has been to keep things simple, honest and as universal as possible. In 2020, he directed Anthony Hopkins (and himself) to an Oscar with “The Father.” And now, with so many watching to see what he’ll do next, Zeller adapts his most personal play, “The Son,” about a troubled New York teenager no one seems to understand, least of all himself. “I’m not made like other people,” insists 17-year-old Nicholas (remarkable newcomer Zen McGrath, who goes head-to-head with Hugh Jackman here). “I’m in pain. All. The. Time.”


It’s a cry for help in a film where people desperately want to do the right thing, but no one seems to know what that is — or what Nicholas is capable of. That uncertainty gives “The Son” its tension: a low, subconscious dread that something terrible is going to happen, as if tragedy were inevitable, but you can’t quite be sure what form it will take. “He scares me,” Nicholas’ mother, Kate (Laura Dern, letting the character’s neediness be known), tells big-shot ex-husband Peter (Jackman) in a tone that suggests she’s admitting it for the first time. Kate has shown up at Peter’s place — a posh apartment the power lawyer shares with new wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and their newborn baby — at an inappropriately late hour looking for help.

Nicholas has been skipping school for nearly a month. Something is wrong, but the boy refuses to confide in Kate. Maybe Peter can reason with him, she hopes. The next day, Peter drops by, tough but concerned, and tries to pep-talk the kid out of what parents optimistically call a “phase,” but which, in fact, they may never grow out of. Peter wants his son to feel respected. In the man-to-almost-man conversation that follows, Nicholas winds up asking whether he can live with his dad, which sets the rest of “The Son” in motion.

Instead of feeling loose and lived in, Zeller’s adaptation of his own play has a slightly heightened quality, not to be confused with “theatrical”: The sets feel disconcertingly under-decorated, as if the characters were living in an Ikea showroom. The sound design has been dialed down, such that sirens and street noise (a New York near-constant) barely register. The dialogue, adapted into English with Christopher Hampton’s help, suggests what people might say in such a situation. These very concerns have fueled countless TV movies, and yet, Zeller is going for the most “tasteful” possible treatment. Instead of merely wrenching us emotionally — which “The Son” will inevitably succeed in doing anyway — he wants to get audiences thinking.




Study the dynamic between father and son carefully, and you’ll spot a fascinating trick at work, even subtler than the sleight of hand Zeller used to make audiences feel as if they were slowly losing their minds (like Hopkins’ character) in “The Father”: In the role of Peter, Jackman becomes a man caught up in his own kind of performance. The seldom-home workaholic desperately wants to be perceived as an ideal patriarch but seems to know (or suspect) deep down that he’s a failure in that department. That means Jackman is essentially playing a man playing a dad.

If you doubt this reading, consider one of the film’s defining scenes, when Peter takes a rare break from work to see his own dad (Anthony Hopkins as Anthony, a different father from “The Father”) to let him know he’s thinking of turning down a D.C. politician’s offer to oversee his campaign, since Nicholas needs him. It seems to Peter like the right call, but Anthony sees right through his agenda. “Your daddy wasn’t nice to you. So what?” he spits. “Just fucking get over it!”

And therein emerges another dimension of Jackman’s character, who hails from a generation in which shutting one’s mouth and enduring the pain is seen as a sign of personal strength. Today, emotional maturity is associated with the opposite qualities: the capacity to identify one’s trauma and accept treatment, as Nicholas tries to do. To his credit, when not too distracted with work, Peter does try to communicate with his son. It’s through one of these conversations that Peter learns that the boy is deeply traumatized by his parents’ split. This revelation isn’t offered as an “explanation” so much as a clue. Nicholas clearly feels betrayed and abandoned by his father. Life, he says, is “weighing me down.”

For Nicholas’ parents, as well as any fathers and mothers in the audience, it’s upsetting to see someone so young overwhelmed by the world around him — a state of mind McGrath plays more subtly than Laurie Kynaston did in the West End stage version, where the character scribbled on walls and upended furniture in agitation. Not this Nicholas. He’s largely a cipher, stashing a weapon under his mattress and showing an unsettling interest in his infant stepbrother (whom he sees as a replacement of sorts). This is no easy role, since the slightest bit of menace would likely sabotage the sensitivity of Zeller’s portrayal.

“The Son” isn’t an easy watch, but it’s an important one at a time when young people are very much in crisis. Just look at the statistics, and it’s clear that depression, self-harm and suicide are up in alarming rates among teenagers — and that’s even before you factor in the challenges of the pandemic. When Nicholas asks his father about the rifle he noticed in the laundry room, it’s not clear whether this disgruntled teen plans to use it on his classmates or himself. Ask Chekhov how you ought to feel for the rest of the film.



Beth is frightened, but tries her best to be a caring stepmother, as in an atypically light scene when she pressures Peter to demonstrate his “famous hip sway.” Out comes a glimpse of the goofball behind Hugh Jackman’s star persona. Between this and “Bad Education,” we’re seeing a new chapter of his career, as Jackman subsumes his natural charisma in order to suggest Peter’s fundamental insecurity: He wants to break the cycle, to be a better dad than the one he had. But he doesn’t understand what he’s up against, and in watching “The Son” play out, this family’s tragedy becomes our own, and Zeller’s warning becomes impossible to ignore.

[njr]

Should be infant “half-brother” not “step-brother!” Otherwise, a great review.

Nancy

[jo]

THE SON is now available on Prime-Video ( Amazon).

Jo

[jo]

ased on this -- confirmation that the dead knife weilder had a mental problem issue and was fascinated with knives.

au.news.yahoo.com/live/westfield-bondi-junction-stabbing-live-updates-killers-parents-saw-him-on-tv-police-stopped-him-in-street-just-months-ago-230421115.html

Assistant Commissioner Lowe said to his knowledge the killer did not have a job and is believed to have been living out of a car with limited contact with his family.

He would not be drawn on reports that Cauchi was knife obsessed and that his family had previously taken knives away from him.

Cauchi was diagnosed with a mental health disorder at the age of 17. The important questions, Assistant Commissioner Lowe said, for the coming investigation being conducted by NSW Police will centre around his “interaction with treating practitioners, his recent whereabouts … and what changed from a person who is 40 and has for a number of years functioned in society.”

Joel Cauchi's mental health history revealed
Queensland Health has revealed knifeman Joel Cauchi's mental health history in the state.

"The man had been treated by Queensland Health for mental health issues more than a decade ago but his care was transferred to a psychiatrist in the private sector in 2012," it said in a statement.

"We will work with Queensland and NSW police on any information and assistance we can provide.

"Queensland Health extends our sympathies to everyone involved in the tragic incident."

Queensland Health's records indicate Cauchi last received medical treatment four years ago, however this was not mental health-related.

Cauchi reportedly had schizophrenia and the Courier Mail understands he had been off his medication.

NSW Police Acting Commissioner Anthony Cooke has suggested the stabbing attack was linked to Cauchi's mental health.

JoAB
@joab46466753
·
23s
HughJackman
@realhughjackman

Reports that assailant had serious mental health problems(since he was 17)? If so,the mental health issue that THE SON had brought out deserves even more attention from society now.Whether harming oneself or others--a very difficult societal concern.

JoAB
@joab46466753
·

[jo]

Strong reviews continue to come from late fans of the movie -

From an IMDB reader --

9/10
The Sins of Our Fathers
Gymnopedies1 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Florian Zeller is increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with, the French novelist has written ten plays to date, and subsequently directed two of them. His directorial debut was The Father, an unflinching look at dementia, that earned the outstanding Anthony Hopkins his second Academy Award. The Son is just as devastating as his first film, and explores the struggles of mental health on an individual and their family. The film is emotionally devastating and yet it serves as an important cautionary message for all parents alike. The film centers around a young man, Nicholas, played by Zen McGrath, who is grappling to make sense of life after his parent's separation, his father's relationship with another woman, and having another son with her, is having a detrimental effect on him.

The story that truly grips the audience through its use of angst and tension-filled dialogue, with many profound utterances about the mind-set of someone with depression. You can literally feel the stress and pressure escalating, while we are presented with several characteristic Zeller-esque deceptions, just like we were with The Father. One of the most powerful scenes in the film was where Nicholas (Zen McGrath) was tearfully and passionately pleading with his father (Hugh Jackman) to take him home, against the Doctors orders - who would argue that he wasn't ready to go home. There were many scenes filled with profound dialogue that gives you a glimpse into the mind of someone suffering from mental health issues. A few of these included:

"Peter: When you hurt yourself, it's as if you're doing it to me.

Nicholas: And when you hurt Mom, you were doing it to me."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm not made for this life. And I can't deal with any of it. Even so, I try, every day, with all of my strength."

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the end was one of the most devastating and soul-crushing endings to a film, I have ever seen. It is not a film for the masses, as the subject matter may be a turn-off to some, but nonetheless, it is necessary viewing. It is the ultimate film about teenage depression.

[jo]

That's crazy🧙🏼‍♂️
@runicorpse
·
5m
I've now watched two things in the past Year that have destroyed me.
The Son, with Hugh Jackman, and Baby Reindeer on Netflix.
10/10
Wouldn't recommend if you've been through some shit.