THE SON - Fan Page

[jo]

From IMDB --

10/10
Masterpiece!!!
bshristov2 March 2023

Warning: Spoilers

The Son is the second film in what Zeller has designed as a trilogy. It was launched in 2020 with The Father, which had Anthony Hopkins as a parent whose dementia causes him to fear and distrust those closest to him. Now, in The Son, Hugh Jackman's Peter, a successful Manhattan lawyer, is trying to rescue his teenage son from the depths of depression. 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. "The Son" isn't an easy watch, but it's an important one at a time when young people are very much in crisis.

[jo]

From a sportslover from Belgium --

Lil Belge
@lilbelge
Souvent cliché, #TheSon arrive néanmoins à être touchant et parfois bouleversant, notamment grâce à l’interprétation de Hugh Jackman.
Un bon film, malgré ses défauts, qui met en lumière la complexité et l’incompréhension, pour la victime et ses proches, de la dépression.

Translated from French by Google :

Often cliché, #TheSon nevertheless manages to be touching and sometimes overwhelming, thanks in particular to the interpretation of Hugh Jackman.
A good film, despite its flaws, which highlights the complexity and incomprehension, for the victim and his relatives, of depression.

Lil Belge
@lilbelge
Il en faut beaucoup pour que j’aie les larmes aux yeux dans une salle de cinéma, Florian Zeller, Hugh Jackman et Hans Zimmer auront réussi lors de la dernière scène. Bravo.

Translated from French by Google :

It takes a lot to bring tears to my eyes in a movie theater, Florian Zeller, Hugh Jackman and Hans Zimmer will have succeeded in the last scene. Cheer.

He was referring to this scene ? And maybe a bit of the previous scene?

Feb 27, 2023 18:49:17 GMT -5 jo said:

Feb 27, 2023 18:46:34 GMT -5 jo said:

Major SPOILER -- the ending!

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I cannot appreciate why there were so many who objected to the ending, including the critics!

Is it because people did not want a sad ending... that this is too cathartic?


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

From Rotten Tomatoes audience review --

F G
Mar 4, 2023
Thought provoking. Watched this film and properly cried. Parents on the hamster wheel of life unable to properly connect with but love their troubled teenager child. Jackman affected by the culture and habits of his narcissist father. Dern, wanting her son to be happy but out of ideas, carrying her own wounds over the divorce. They need to make a good decision for their son.

[njr]

I pre-ordered the DVD from Amazon. I believe it arrives the end of this month. Can’t wait to see it!

Nancy

[jo]

From IMDB --

9/10 stars
Upset and shocked with the unbelievable reviews
xgarzon-718196 February 2023

This movie creates unexpected moments of deep reflections and touches one of the most important themes of nowadays societies. We need these kind of art and scripts. People are just so superficial that don't really understand the depth of this film.

The capacity of the actors to really take you into a deep conversation where themes like empathy, kindness, depression and human interaction is always rich and powerful.

It's always beyond the typical script where common places fall. It can become so personal that for some people this movie can be so hurting that creates a sense of impotence and frustration with what seems to be a normal situation in life.

Excellent and unforgettable.

[jo]

From a fiction novel writer ( 7 books) --

[jo]

From Mexico --

MMFigueiras
@litperdida
"The Son" establece con "The Father" un lazo sutil e inteligente que le permite plantear un recorrido doloroso por el laberinto de la paternidad. Los cuatro protagonistas encabezados por Peter (un soberbio Hugh Jackman) integran un notable cuadrángulo trágico que estremece.

Translated from Spanish by Google :

"The Son" establishes a subtle and intelligent link with "The Father" that allows him to present a painful journey through the labyrinth of fatherhood. The four protagonists headed by Peter (a superb Hugh Jackman) make up a remarkable tragic quadrangle that shakes.

[jo]

From Madrid --

Alberto Oliver
@alberto_oliver5
El Hijo. De los creadores de "El Padre" llega esta nueva historia que vuelve a emocionar. El trasfondo sobre salud mental es vital para la trama y ojalá la gente sepa leerlo. Hugh Jackman se mueve como pez en el agua en el drama.
Nunca superaré la escena final.

Translated from Spanish by Google:

The son. From the creators of "El Padre" comes this exciting new story. The background about mental health is vital to the plot and I hope people know how to read it. Hugh Jackman moves like a fish to water in the drama.
I will never get over the final scene.

[jo]

[jo]

It is sad that audience acclaim comes too late... although maybe this movie will become a true hit in the future!

نازك
@realiteit86
من اجمل الافلام التي شاهدتها في الفترة الاخيرة فيلم الإبن ل Hugh Jackman و Anthony Hopkins. قصة رائعة وتمثيل واداء لا تشعر بإنه تمثيل، حقيقي، واقعي، احب اسمع اراء اللي شاهدوه.

Translated from Arabic by Google:

One of the most beautiful films I have watched recently is Hugh Jackman and Anthony Hopkins' Son. A wonderful story, acting and performance that does not feel like acting, real, realistic. I would love to hear the opinions of those who watched it.

[jo]

[njr]

I posted yesterday about receiving the DVD of The Son and watching it that afternoon, but either I forgot to hit Post Quick Reply or who knows what!
All I can say is “WOW!” What a movie, with great performances all around. Don’t want to give out any spoilers, so will say no more until the rest of you have seen it.

Nancy

[jo]

SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT*****SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT*****SPOILER ALERT


From IMDB --

5/10
Does Hugh Jackman really fit?
e_nic26 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Since I was so impressed by the film "The Father", I may have had too much expectations.

In my eyes this is a story about a father who fails (like so many of us) update the parenting style of the time as the son was only 6 years old, and most of all, a father who is eager to "fix the problem" and also appease his sense of guilt all the while failing to really listen to his the child. Child raising is essentially about his self worth and achievement even though it's never said. Sure he loves his son, but this is essentially about HIM trying to be a good father rather than really trying to understand what is going on in his child and listen to other people to help him.

This is obvious near the end as he has the delusion - he says: " I am proud of you" looking only at the title and the cover of the book his son in his delusion has written. In this delusion, the son now lives conveniently away, has a girlfriend, is open and friendly - ideal happy son in his set of values. In the end he is devastated primarily because he thinks he has failed as a father instead of just missing his son. Hugh Jackman still makes this father figure, who is caring only on a superficial level but is essentially narcissistic, look nevertheless compassionate. His expression of helplessness, fear and despair is brilliant and makes us sympathize so naturally with him, but it somehow leads us away from the true nature of the character.

He seeemed to have appreciated Florian Zeller's cinematic vision and focus -- and yet he gives it a 50% rating??

It looks like some moviegoers wanted a different movie? More of a medical procedural where they want to see the family ( basically the father, who is also a son) to have taken the right steps ( maybe) to prevent the tragic ending? He wants to write his own screenplay

Zeller has repeatedly said that he wants to bring out maybe unwanted but not totally unexpected familial reactions to someone who is suffering from depression... so that conversations around the world can start or re-start that would be the correct first step to help address this societal concern.

Jo

[jo]

Florian Zeller...Hugh Jackman et al --

Do read the comments from so many -- you have done your job!!


www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJWRY4DzoAQ

[jo]

[jo]

Carthoris Scissorhands
@carthoris_
Oubliez The Whale. Allez plutôt voir The Son. C'est le meilleur film que j'ai vu depuis un bout de temps.

C'est un film bouleversant qui parle de maladie mentale, de dépression, de suicide, de la transmission transgénérationnelle de traumatismes et de parentalité.


Translated from French by Google :

Forget The Whale. Go see The Son instead. It's the best movie I've seen in a while.

It's a moving film that talks about mental illness, depression, suicide, the transgenerational transmission of trauma and parenthood.

Carthoris Scissorhands
@carthoris_
Un film parfaitement écrit, très bien réalisé, soutenu par un casting parfait et solide. Hugh Jackman en tête (De très loin sa meilleure performance pour son meilleur rôle) !

Translated from French by Google :

A perfectly written film, very well directed, supported by a perfect and solid cast. Hugh Jackman in the lead (By far his best performance for his best role)!

[jo]

My home video copy finally arrived. I have read the play before...but this is my first chance to see the film adaptation... which I readily read!

What a beautiful, poignant, powerful and well-told story! I may try to write my review of the film eventually.

How the critics and the award bodies failed to see the worth of this movie from an artistic viewpoint and for partly addressing the mental health issue among the young is very hard to explain! To have ignored it and to draw the public's attention away from the value of watching this story is a true disservice.

I am glad that when I had a chance to talk to Hugh at the stagedoor of the WinterGarden, I used that opportunity to thank him for THE SON ( at the time I had already read the play - that was June 2022). He thanked me back and then characteristically put his hand over his heart!

Now I fully appreciate why this film is the closest to his heart ( as he shared with Hugo Travers in that interview on French media)! It is a very powerful familial drama.

Jo

[jo]

Was this photo used in many promotion materials chosen because it is an attractive and appealing image of father & son?

Or was there an underlying connection to the whole plot?

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

Another review on IMDB --

9/10

Disturbing and profound
magnuslhad29 March 2023

The Son is every parent's nightmare. Reminiscent of Birth in the way the uncanny permeates every frame and implants a creeping sense of foreboding under your skin. Vanessa Kirby as Beth is the most relatable character, as she seems as confused by Nicholas as the audience. Hugh Jackman nails it as the father trying to do the right thing and slowly realising that there are some things that are just beyond our control. Zen McGrath is naturalistic as Nicholas, allowing the actions to speak for themselves and calibrating perfectly a performance it would be easy to over-egg. There is something stagey about the production, a nod to the play origins, and done deliberately one feels, as it adds to the sense of unreal events overtaking characters. My favourite moment was when the parents leave the hospital having made one decision, only for the next cut to show they reversed it. A harrowing film that will hopefully start important conversations for some people.

[jo]

JΛCK
@jackocine
Florian Zeller capte un équilibre qui se rompt, un idéal qui déraille, en insinuant le mal de vivre au sein du cocon familial. Et si #TheSon ne transcende aussi bien son sujet que The Father, il offre tout de même à Hugh Jackman l'opportunité d'une performance déchirante.

Translated from French by Google
Florian Zeller captures a balance that is broken, an ideal that derails, by insinuating the evil of living within the family cocoon. And if #TheSon does not transcend its subject as well as The Father, it still offers Hugh Jackman the opportunity for a heartbreaking performance.

[jo]

My review for AMAZON --

Customer Review
Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lesson in life in a well-told movie!

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

The Son is a beautiful, powerful, poignant & intimate portrait of a family trying to deal with a complex problem - an adolescent trying to cope with depression, presumably rooted in a dysfunctional problem that drove the family unit apart. Divorce may sound convenient to parties concerned but the impact on the children of divorce who are left trying to swim through the engulfing waters of separation and alienation cannot be underestimated. That we also carry other familial dysfunctional traits also suggest that it makes the problem even worse. The storytelling is excellent, the film is very well acted, especially by Hugh Jackman showing his fine dramatic gift ( how the Oscars failed to give him recognition for this acting gift is a true miss), and the messages are clear. Every family, every pediatric department, every psychiatric department, even teachers should try and see this movie. Then perhaps we can better understand mental health issues that beset our young. Thank you, Florian Zeller, for this gift!

*I was initially registered as READER from the USA a very long time ago...and Amazon continues to keep my record with them as such.

*I read the play some time ago...and even had the chance to thank Hugh at the stagedoor of the Winter Garden last June 2022 for his taking on the role. But given the long wait to see the movie itself (it was not shown here, like other Southeast Asian countries), I was chafing after having read the negativity of critics and some initial audience members. If the play ( which got rave reviews in London & Singapore) had been successful, how bad could it be given the creatives and one of the best acting cast? I had to wait till the release of the home video to see its impact. So, after seeing the movie -- I immediately gave it some thought and wrote the above reaction while everything was fresh in my mind ( I did not even re-read the play for comparison - but I will do that at some point). So, my review is essentially the most significant point that crystallized in my mind after watching it.

[jo]

More thoughts on the movie -- some SPOILERS.

To me, his source of depression is obvious.

His father was there for him when he was very young. Watch again that first scene with the little boy. Very young Nicholas says that he can't swim, as he is only 7...and Peter says not to worry because he will be there to teach him. Then we see Peter patiently teaching his young boy how to swim...maybe towards the boat where his wife awaits them.

But years later, when he left the family home, Nicholas felt he had abandoned him. Thus, " You hurt me... when you hurt her".

Maybe he thought that if he lived with his Dad and his new family, that he will get back the feeling of being loved again. But Peter was too busy... had his new family... and had tried to make Nicholas behave like himself ( in Peter's youth, when he toughened himself against his father's inattention and cruelty). So, Nicholas felt he was not getting back what he thought he had - his full attention, care & regard. Also, who knows what the family situation was before Peter left his first wife and Nicholas? Maybe the teenager had seen them fight, seen the loss of love and affection between the couple, had fears about the parents separating ( and he himself being abandoned as well).

Some people can take that. But some cannot - it leaves them with a feeling of insecurity.

That was why when they showed the scene when Peter patiently helped his little boy learn how to swim-- it was a marked contrast to the feeling of insecurity that came upon the adolescent Nicholas when Peter left the family home.

In the end, when Peter realized that he had not been fully supportive of Nicholas, he felt guilty.

SPOILER: Click to show

That was before the suicide.

A guilt that stayed with him when he fantasized a positive scenario of a future that never happened.

Jo

[jo]

On the other hand -- at age 17, some kids whose parents may have separated, may find it easier to see the situation more clearly. That the parents have lost their connection as human beings and they may be better off living apart. That he had a future ahead of him and he should take the family situation as a sad part of his life that will not hinder him from making a life for himself in the future.

He was an only child - had this contributed to his strong feelings of alienation when his Dad left?

Some adjust to the situation -- at this age, the future lies near ahead... and this can be his gradual seeking of something meaningful for his own life.

JO