THE SON - Fan Page

[jo]

I also contributed a review on IMDB ( film is currently rated at 6.2 of 10).

10/10

An imperfect family portrait and its devastating impact

baj33 April 2023

The Son poses the question of what causes an adolescent child to become so distanced from the joys of growing into manhood... by trying to rebuild a relationship with a father who loved and cared for him in childhood but has now become a parent who has left the family home. When did his father ( Peter Miller) slowly grow apart from the family? At the beginning, the boy's adoration of his father was so obvious when Peter was very reassuring to him as he guided him to learn how to swim. As years passed, changes in his work aspirations and workload and likely social associations may have contributed to the couple growing apart. And the young son may have felt the distancing that was happening... ultimately ending in divorce, with its engulfing sense of separation and alienation from his Dad whom he adored. HIs attempt to repair that bridge by living with his father and his new family is not working. His father has his own personal aspirations - workwise and family-wise, and his own childhood experience with an uncaring father keeps Peter even more distanced from his son. He wants to rebuild his relationship with his adolescent son but Peter is ignoring the sense of distress that his son is undergoing. He wanted him to grow up the same way that he did - all on his own!

This is a movie that examines the relationship that seems difficult to rebuild as Peter had mistakenly thought he could teach his son to grow up into manhood like he did. But we are not all the same. Thus the unravelling of a young man's sense of self-worth and desire to overcome his depression.

Life is complicated...and we see this in the day-to-day building and toppling down of family relationships. The film does not offer solutions but it unveils that underneath the isolation is the desire to be connected to each other in the only way it matters. That someone loves us and supports us to become adult!

The film's underlying message is to examine how familial relationships can strengthen or destroy a person's sense of self-worth. Give this movie a try -- not only is it a story well-told and very well-acted ( special mention to Hugh Jackman for playing an outstanding lawyer but a clueless father) but it encourages further and deeper conversations on how to understand the dysfunctional impact of a family that is torn apart. Then, perhaps we can start to understand how to heal!

[jo]

The IMDB rating of 6.2 of 10 is not so bad, in comparison to highly-rated Jackman movies and other movies.



The Prestige - 8.5
Logan - 8.1
Prisoners - 8.1
XMen:Days of Future Past - 7.9
Les Miserables - 7.5
The Greatest Showman - 7.5

XMen 2 - 7.4
XMen - 7.3
Eddie The Eagle - 7.2
The Fountain - 7.2
Bad Education - 7.1
Real Steel - 7.0

Chappie - 6.8
The Wolverine - 6.7
Scoop - 6.6
XMen Origins : Wolverine - 6.5
Australia - 6.4
Kate and Leopold - 6.4
The Front Runner - 6.1

Reminiscence - 5.9

[jo]

This review from IMDB can make everyone teary-eyed!

9/10
The story matches my experience
christurton-334751 April 2023

My 17 year old done committed suicide 3 years ago. The storyline matches my experience almost exactly. Although I'm hard working, not all hard working fathers are from wealthy backgrounds or high powered jobs. Suicide can happen to any family. The exasperation depicted by the parents was spot on. Hugh Jackman's character tried kind dad, understanding dad, hard dad etc. As I did (with help from parental counselling). I saw bad reviews of the sons acting. Totally disagree - he said little, went for long walks, avoided school in exactly the same way my son did and he totally looked the part. The story was very well researched. The doctors line "sometimes love is not enough" said much. The son pleading to leave hospital was him pleading to die. The happiness in the moments before suicide was the happiness of escaping pain. I've seen it. Mental health remains so poorly understood, and it likely always will. But the signs of suicide I've since learnt can follow a pattern. The film captures it all. Top marks for having the courage to make this film and for sure it's not for everyone. Finally, I saw a review saying Jackman's character was failing badly as a father. I've talked now to many people whose family had experienced suicide. And all did their best. I'd stick up for all of them.

[jo]

Another recent review on IMDB --

10/10
Excellent film!

andreiest4 April 2023

First of all, this film has no LGTB agenda, no gaylesbiantrans protagonist. So, its like breathing in some fresh air, which is air.

This film has left a profound impact on me. It was beautifully crafted, and it portrayed the struggles of depression in a sensitive yet honest manner.

The film captured the protagonist's journey of The emotions were raw, and the story was poignant.

The cinematography was exceptional, and the soundtrack perfectly complemented the scenes, elevating the emotional impact of the story. The performances were outstanding, particularly Hugh Jackman who portrayed the struggle being a father with authenticity and depth.

It's a well-crafted, emotionally resonant movie that's both thought-provoking and moving. The film tackles a difficult subject matter with grace and honesty, and it's a must-watch for anyone who wants to experience the transformative power of the story.

Well done! We need more films like these. Probably one the best films of 2023.

[jo]

This other recent IMDB review has a mixed view of the movie --

7/10

Despair

thinkMovies3 April 2023

Whether or not this is about behavior, due to some degree of mental illness, both parents and step-mother, especially the father, seem completely out of touch with their son's very real and obvious psychiatric and emotional problems to the degree of appearing themselves part of the problem, if not even the trigger of the escalation.

But I am not sure what the movie was telling us? Somewhere between script, direction and editing the whole thing got either diluted to indecisiveness of message, or confusion about the moral we were supposed to walk away with.

Even the actors seemed confused as to how they were supposed to deliver their parts.

It could be argued that real life is like that, but I've had 64 years of it and I would disagree.

The kid had real psychiatric issues and he was even explaining them to his parents, who were competitive go-getters by nature and they seemed to be in total denial of their son's reality.

I think the movie was a good idea badly executed.

[jo]

www.instagram.com/reel/CihqsXpv64V/

(Pls click on the link)


You were both great - especially George! What a poignant movie. Wish the happiness in Peter's and little Nicholas's eyes and lips stayed and never left the movie -- what if the faux ending was real!

[jo]

A new review on IMDB --

6/10
Contains All The Right Elements But Ultimately Squanders Them In The Endgame
zkonedog6 April 2023
When looked at in terms of pieces that might make a film great, "The Son" is set up nicely: wonderful cast, dramatic material, and a writer/director-Florian Zeller-fresh off a momentous previous success ("The Father"). While all this would seem to indicate a hit, "The Son" ultimately squanders most of that potential with a few key failings.

For a very basic overview, this film tells the story of Peter (Hugh Jackman), who we first see with wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) raising an infant son. One day, ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) comes knocking at the door with news that Nicholas (Zen McGrath)-the son from their union-hasn't been to school for a month and is acting strange. This sets off a chain of events in which the nature of depression and the role of parents within it is scrutinized.

Like I said, "The Son" looks-at least in the early goings-to be a tour-de-force of drama. It tackles weighty issues like divorce, parenting, & depression, and does so with the sparkling cast mentioned above. Unfortunately, two aspects of the movie failed pretty miserably at connecting me to the subject matter...

First, the emotional, gut-punch ending of the film only works if viewers are set up with doubt that Peter & Kate are good parents-and that isn't made clear. In fact, one could fairly easily argue the opposite: though both hold full-time jobs (but who doesn't in this modern world?), they seem very responsive and caring towards Nicholas. Mother Kate clearly loves him and father Peter tries numerous times to connect with the adolescent. So, the "is this my fault?" or "are we bad parents?" ending felt manufactured and fell on deaf ears for me.

Secondly, and even more oddly, is that a single-almost throw-away in the film's context-scene was closer to truly thought-provoking than anything else here. After the success of Zeller's "The Father", Anthony Hopkins is given a cameo scene here (not a part of Zeller's original play adaptation) as Peter's father. Their discussion-clearly meant to portray the elder as a cruel patriarch-is actually quite interesting and gave me more to chew on than the rest of the film combined.

Overall, though, I found "The Son" lacking when push came to shove in getting me truly emotionally invested in all its characters. All the ingredients were certainly present, but the stew just didn't come out right.

Issue -- do you have to be emotionally-invested in a story and its characters when its aim is to present a realistic real-life portrayal of people involved in a dramatic situation. In real life, we are not all heroes!

Jo

[jo]

I think we have posted this under Official Reviews -- but after seeing the film, it might be more useful to look at this review with respect to our own reactions to it.

Alex Billington has reviewed a number of Jackman films, IIRC.

FirstShowing.net
HOME TRAILERS 2023 SCHEDULE 2024 SCHEDULE SHORT FILMS REVIEWS PODCAST INTERVIEWS NEWS FEEDS ABOUT US
REVIEWS
Venice 2022: Florian Zeller's 'The Son' Wants Us to Talk About This
by Alex Billington
September 7, 2022

The Son Review

We need to talk about The Son. This film is definitely a conversation starter, even more so than The Father. After winning two Oscars for his dementia drama The Father, talented French director Florian Zeller has returned with his follow-up - a film titled The Son. It's part of Zeller's trilogy about family and fragility and our connections with each other when things go wrong & times get tough. The Son premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival as a highly anticipated competition film, and it's worthy of this debut. It may not be as masterful as The Father, but it is a compelling, devastating, seriously captivating drama. I believe Zeller's point is to make us discuss the film - the whole thing is "we need to talk about this" and for the characters, that's very hard to do unfortunately; but for viewers the emotions and twists in the story will make you talk. It's impossible to not have something to say after this - good or bad, sad or happy, as long as you're honest.

Directed by Florian Zeller, from a screenplay written by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller (they both won a writing Oscar for The Father in 2020), adapted from Zeller's own play of the same name, the film is about a father attempting to reconnect with his son. Hugh Jackman stars as Peter, the father, a high class, well-paid lawyer working at a prestigious law firm in New York City. He is now married to Beth, played by Vanessa Kirby, for only a few years and together they a baby boy. He's always at work while she spends her time at home taking care of him. Peter's ex-wife is Kate, played by Laura Dern, and together they also have a teenage son named Nicholas, played by newcomer Zen McGrath. One day Nicholas tells his mother that he wants to see his dad and move in with him. While busy with work, Peter reluctantly agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that will change their lives forever. It's a hard-hitting story about parents and how it's important to stop & listen to your children when something is wrong and they need you more than ever.

Zeller's two feature films so far all have a very natural, intimate storytelling sense to them. They certainly feel like they come from the stage, which is exactly where they did originate, but the cinematic vibe is based around the performances and the way the story flows. Most conversations take place inside of apartments or in conference rooms, rarely on the street. Even when Nicholas goes for long, meandering walks around New York City, Peter never catches up with him outside for a talk or otherwise. The Son is not as immersive and mindful as The Father, it's captivating and heartfelt in its own way. The focus in this one is mental health - specifically with Nicholas' struggles and how his father is unable to help him. There's also a bit of context built in about how Peter's own father, played by Anthony Hopkins, is a careless narcissistic grump and sadly this is being passed down from generation to generation. As much as Peter wants to free himself from this burden and act differently, he just can't help himself. A cautionary tale for audiences to be mindful of.

Jackman, McGrath, and Dern are all excellent. The film gets intense at times showing how a bad father can screw up everything and what NOT to do as a parent – how they need to listen more, open up more. It's so hard to let people heal and let people be themselves. Even with a few flaws, even if you hate the film or don't like the story or where it goes, it's well-crafted and smart enough to create a conversation – to get us talking. Being upset about this scene or that moment is actually part of Zeller's plan as a filmmaker, encouraging us to examine our honest feelings. There's a key moment in this where anyone watching will feel overwhelmed by a decision that must be made. The film makes one choice, leading us down one path, but it's also worth discussing whether the other path would've worked out. I just hope The Son is a beneficial film, a guide for some folks, despite the heaviness of it all. That's the best result for this, that's the best the film can achieve.

Alex's Venice 2022 Rating: 8 out of 10

Mr. Billington seems to appreciate that there is need for deeper conversations. He doesn't seem to point which aspect needs a further look for more insights.

I might be leaning towards focusing on how Nicholas became unhappy with the domestic situation...until the parents separate. He is trying to become attached again to the father who was there for him in childhood but has now distanced himself with a new family and a new home. Is Nicholas longing to get back that sense of domestic bliss? Or is it a lost cause?

The story is based on a personal aspect of Florian Zeller's life. It seems that he married a woman who had a child, who eventually was suffering from a deep depression. His wife, a famous French actress, shares her personal background ( suffering from the treatment by her first husband) and eventually praises Florian for "saving them"?

Nothing is shared how healing came about. But it is interesting to note that Florian dedicates the film to his stepson, Gabriel. Was Florian the angel who helped save his wife's son suffering from depression? Was it the love and care he showed the adolescent?

Maybe that kind of treatment, a true showing of love and care from the fictional Peter Miller to his son Nicholas could have been the right step towards healing for the young man? Maybe?

Jo

[jo]

There is one scene in particular where Dern shows Jackman the photo of his young son, when all was innocence and he was a ray of sunshine. How it hurts not to understand when we lost that and how hard it is to come back.
Louise
@_luisafernando
·

Maybe if Peter had looked back to appreciate the reasons for the loss of innocence by his son... maybe there could have been a different ending?

[jo]

[jo]

Another IMDB review --

6/10
Contains All The Right Elements But Ultimately Squanders Them In The Endgame

zkonedog6 April 2023

When looked at in terms of pieces that might make a film great, "The Son" is set up nicely: wonderful cast, dramatic material, and a writer/director-Florian Zeller-fresh off a momentous previous success ("The Father"). While all this would seem to indicate a hit, "The Son" ultimately squanders most of that potential with a few key failings.

For a very basic overview, this film tells the story of Peter (Hugh Jackman), who we first see with wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) raising an infant son. One day, ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) comes knocking at the door with news that Nicholas (Zen McGrath)-the son from their union-hasn't been to school for a month and is acting strange. This sets off a chain of events in which the nature of depression and the role of parents within it is scrutinized.

Like I said, "The Son" looks-at least in the early goings-to be a tour-de-force of drama. It tackles weighty issues like divorce, parenting, & depression, and does so with the sparkling cast mentioned above. Unfortunately, two aspects of the movie failed pretty miserably at connecting me to the subject matter...

First, the emotional, gut-punch ending of the film only works if viewers are set up with doubt that Peter & Kate are good parents-and that isn't made clear. In fact, one could fairly easily argue the opposite: though both hold full-time jobs (but who doesn't in this modern world?), they seem very responsive and caring towards Nicholas. Mother Kate clearly loves him and father Peter tries numerous times to connect with the adolescent. So, the "is this my fault?" or "are we bad parents?" ending felt manufactured and fell on deaf ears for me.

Secondly, and even more oddly, is that a single-almost throw-away in the film's context-scene was closer to truly thought-provoking than anything else here. After the success of Zeller's "The Father", Anthony Hopkins is given a cameo scene here (not a part of Zeller's original play adaptation) as Peter's father. Their discussion-clearly meant to portray the elder as a cruel patriarch-is actually quite interesting and gave me more to chew on than the rest of the film combined.

Overall, though, I found "The Son" lacking when push came to shove in getting me truly emotionally invested in all its characters. All the ingredients were certainly present, but the stew just didn't come out right.

[hughmanity]

Hope everyone had a lovely spring holiday season.
So, last week I finally watched THE SON on a plane ride and even with the engine noise and small screen found it to be quite impactful. From my perspective as a former teacher of at-risk adolescents, this movie did not ring hollow or false as some have said. I worked with kids very much like Nicholas, and with parents who were at a loss. Some critics felt the character of Nicholas was underwritten, when in fact his inability to articulate what he was feeling is very realisitc, and I encountered responses like his many times.
When this film was being released overseas, I thought it so interesting to see how seemingly better received it was
outside of the U.S.
As I am enjoying Hugh's transition back to Wolverine, I still am somewhat frustrated that neither he or the film got their due for this dramatic piece.

[jo]

Apr 10, 2023 17:29:15 GMT -5 hughmanity said:

Hope everyone had a lovely spring holiday season.
So, last week I finally watched THE SON on a plane ride and even with the engine noise and small screen found it to be quite impactful. From my perspective as a former teacher of at-risk adolescents, this movie did not ring hollow or false as some have said. I worked with kids very much like Nicholas, and with parents who were at a loss. Some critics felt the character of Nicholas was underwritten, when in fact his inability to articulate what he was feeling is very realisitc, and I encountered responses like his many times.
When this film was being released overseas, I thought it so interesting to see how seemingly better received it was
outside of the U.S.
As I am enjoying Hugh's transition back to Wolverine, I still am somewhat frustrated that neither he or the film got their due for this dramatic piece.

Your perception of the difference in cultural reactions is supported by this statistics on the IMDB voters. IMDB voters are from mainly film buffs. There is also dichotomy when you read the reviews by IMDB readers.

www.imdb.com/title/tt14458442/ratings/?ref_=tt_ov_rt

*The USA voters showed an average rating of 5.9 while the Outside-USA voters registerd an average rating of 6.3.

*The Bell (shaped like a sideways bell) curve is also a little different. Instead of the end votes to be supposedly the fewest (to get a more perfect Bell-shaped curve) -- those who voted 10 constitute 7.4 % of votes while those who voted 1 amounted to 3.4%

*The female average vote across the board is 6.4 against the male vote of 6.2. But there were significantly more male votes than female votes. Was there more interest from males to see this movie? Are cases of depression more prevalent with males, hence the stronger interest?

*The female votes was consistent regardless of age bracket ( 6.4 - from the significant votes, from youngest to oldest demos). Not so with male votes - which rose from 5.9 to 6.3 as the age rose.

Re the Male vote - are the older demos representing parents more so as the age brackets rose? Hence the more kindly ( or more appreciative) regard towards the movie.



Just my supposition -- I think the early raters were more heavily influenced by the critics ( as published in a source like Rotten Tomatoes - which unusually showed a much lower number than the tighter rating system of Metacritic). Since the release happened in the USA/Canada early, partly from the Toronto fllmfest in Sept/Oct -- I am not surprised at the early reactions by audiences.



One thing that struck me, from comments from critics and some reader reviews --

It seems that they have a different view of what the cinematic focus should be, compared to what they saw. It seems that the expectation is to see a medical procedural ( what caused the depression, what are the various stages of decline, how is the diagnosis and cure procedure explained, was the cure effective, etc)...and not what Zeller intended. Zeller has emphasized time and again that all he wanted is for people to think about what they had seen and to start conversations on the subject, leading to a wider appreciation of the illness and leading to variable solutions. It is a universal problem crossing cultures and national boundaries and age.

Late in the game - I realized that Zeller had based his story on how his stepson overcame a youthful depression to what he has become now. I only appreciated this in full when I saw in the credits that he had dedicated the movie to his stepson Gabriel. The stepson leads a happy life now. If you have read some of my previous notes here - it seems that his wife. a famous actress, regards Florian as some kind of a savior for her and her son -- as she had been in a very difficult relationship with another famous person in the fllm industry. Maybe Florian thought of writing the play as showing the impact of the parental environment in helping an adolescent suffering depression?

Btw, the film had the best reception ( 1/3 of box office) in Florian's native France. Maybe because they wanted to support their fellow countryman ( who was lambasted by the critics)? Or maybe because they were familiar with the story of Florian, his wife and his stepson - and had more sympathy for them? Maybe?

Which seems to be how THE SON turned out to be ?


Interestingly, there were some reader reviews which said that what they had seen on screen happened to them in real life. In some cases - exactly how it did in the movie. There was one heartbreaking IMDB review which shared that his own son committed suicide and that the events in the movie did follow similar paths in real life.


One thing though -- Hugh has categorically said in an interview ( the famous Hugo Travers French media interview) that this is the movie that is closest to his heart!

On a side note, I now understand better why when I thanked him at the WinterGarden stagedoor in June for taking on the role of THE SON (I had already read the play at that time), he put his hand above his heart.

We are a little familiar with his childhood trauma and early adolescent experience -- so maybe there is more empathy from him doing this movie?



It is a movie that needs more than one session to get a deeper perspective on the issue?

Each of us will likely try to understand or guess what brought about the sad end to the story in THE SON. In my case, I thought that the son missed the love and attention that he got from his Dad when he was young...that the drawing apart of the parents (and did he blame his Mom for the alienation of the couple?) from each other led to his feeling isolated ... and his last-ditch attempt to live with his Dad to get back the kind of attention that he missed but unfortunately did not seem to work out--and made him feel even more alienated...Some people cannot stand feeling alone!



JO

[jo]

Polls for Life was responding to an ironic tweet which said emphatically that both THE FATHER and THE SON were both directed by the same person, perhaps suggesting of his likely negative reaction to THE SON

Whatever the reaction of the first tweeter was, I simply wanted to say that Hugh Jackman did turn in an excellent portrayal of the not-so-perfect father!

Jo

[jo]

Three movies of Hugh Jackman were affected by the pandemic.

*Reminiscence - filmed right before the onset of the pandemic
*Bad Education - premiered at Toronto filmfest, but unfortunately the film rights were bought by HBO which did not give it the benefit of a theatrical release
*The Son - made in a bubble right in the difficult days of the pandemic.

Three movies with different appeal and different critical reception.

Bad Education was well met with critics as well as with audiences of the streamed movie. It won an EMMY for best TV Movie ( it could have been an Oscar nominee had it been given a theatrical release).

Reminiscence hardly had any release publicity - reflecting on the low audience turnout. It did not register a FRESH record with ROTTEN TOMATOES

The Son had excellent pre-release publicity, riding on the back of the success of The Father. But the movie received low scores with critics and audiences ( especially in North America...but was better received outside of that sector).


Let me share more thoughts on the 3 movies.

THE SON --

I think the lack of enough publicity before the movie was released led to expectations that did not match what Zeller was focusing on. The audience basically expected a medical procedural, especially on tracing what caused Nicholas's depression.

To me ( maybe because I have read so much from interviews with Zeller, Hugh and the other cast) -- this is not all about tracing what caused the depression and finding the exact answer. I am simply surmising that because there was a broad hint of the relationship of young father and very young son ( there seems to be a very pointed reference to their times on holiday together, including the scene of the father teaching his son to swim...until he could), that Zeller meant to send a message that this scene would bear something significant to the rest of the story. It can also be surmised that the divorce did not happen overnight (Peter: "I stayed longer with your mother for your sake".) that he and the wife drifted apart...until Peter either fell for a new woman or he sought a new partner after a few years). While the couple continued to live together, likely in a strained atmosphere, Nicholas must have been witness to the loss of love. His depression probably started with that. His asking Beth if she knew Peter was married when they first met - Nicholas was trying to find out if there is blame on Beth for the divorce as well. When the divorce finally happened, that must have triggered a more serious impact on Nicholas's mental health .

There did not seem any other reasons to his depression -- no girl problems, no school problems, maybe even serious bullying, or even academic hardship - it seems it is his parents' separation and the loss of his Dad ( emotionally-speaking) was very hard for him to bear.

The movie also focused on the sad state of Peter not having a clue of what he did might have seriously impacted so much on his son...or if he even had some doubts - can he leave his new wife and new son (Peter: "I have a right to reinvent my life"). He probably denied to himself that he was the main reason for his son's alienation! Nicholas wanted to live with him again, maybe to find out if he could learn to live under the changed relationships - but maybe when he found out that Beth knew that Peter was married when they first got together - maybe that alienated Nicholas also with her?

Maybe because Nicholas did not mature as others might have done - - maybe because in the past, he felt ( or he was spoiled with) that he had his father's full affection and care. But that got disrupted 2 years before ( when he was already 15) when his Dad left the family home. Sometimes, this happens especially when there is a solo child in the family.

Some were likely expecting that the reasons for the mental fallout be stated in black and white... to be explicitly said in the storyline...then also expecting what the family should have done to help cure Nicholas... but that did not happen. And this story could be anyone's and that it happens in real life -- maybe we should have been prepared to accept that as the cinematic vision of Zeller! Zeller is a proven storyteller and an budding filmmaker - but maybe he expected a high level of sophistication from the typical moviegoer.

However, in France, the comments seemed positive for most - and the hox office also showed that. Could be that they knew the side story about Zeller's stepson and wife? Maybe what happened is not uncommon in France? Maybe knowing that Zeller is a sophisticated creative artist - that they looked deeper into his cinematic intentions?



BAD EDUCATION

Bad Education was clear and straightforward in its storytelling and its characterizations. It was also a dark comedy.with a few lighthearted moments that audiences liked a lot. I guess all told the movie was meant for masterful entertainement! The crime was committed, and it was solved, and the criminal paid his dues. The issue of financial scandals is far easier to solve ( maybe put in more controls or get the school system disciplined). However there were some ironic twists that the audience did not expect which made the film more interesting. The finale-scene with the character played by Hugh having completely opposite moments with the school audience was masterful, poignant, and dramatically powerful.


The Son required a deeper appreciation of what drove the characters on how they felt or what they were driven to do -- so a different thinking process. Not to entertain but to think...more. What do to - start by thinking about all the possible causes or maybe if this can be alluded to, to steer further conversation on how current culture can be influenced to discover ways to alleviate mental isolation? Maybe the counselling before divorce should include a strong discussion of the impact on children?


REMINISCENCE

Reminiscence could have done with more editing - too many side stories that get the audience too distracted to piece everything together with little effort. I think the current cultural mindset is for fast-paced simpler-themed movies ( watching too many superhero movies or mindless comedies or animation-based stories)...maybe if this had been made during the era when the storyline is more complicated, it would have made the movie much more pleasing to the typical moviegoer.

I liked it because it was a true acting challenge for Hugh - the drama of the romance, the action scenes that were fantastically filmed, the future elements of technology linking past and present...all the elements, save for no-singing for him. He was also not presented with matinee idol looks but a serious character with a complex story to tell. Too bad the pandemic did not allow for the movie to be better finished ( maybe Lisa Joy could have asked for a Chris and Jonathan Nolan review, with the possibility of editing), to be better promoted in advance, to attract physical viewing in a big screen ( it belonged to the big screen).


But all three movies presented moviegoers with 3 completely different themes and portrayals!

If you were a Jackman fan, you would feel all the richer for being able to see them in succession.


PS: And to follow those three different cinematic themes -- with THE MUSIC MAN?!

How lucky can we get

Jo

[jo]

Another moviegoer who fully appreciated THE SON.

IMDB reviewer:

9/10
Reviews and scores can lie
al_dax15 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This absolutely floored me, so very well told. The helplessness/frustration/struggle of the parents and the dispair/hopelessness of Nicolas are no well portrayed.

Yes, as mentioned in other reviews, some of the dialogue is stilted however that is somewhat irrelevant when this compassionate, hard hitting subject is so well and sensitively handled.

Zen McGrath's performance as the desperately mentally ill teen is brilliant. Hugh Jack and Laura Dern as the parents are amazing at portraying the helpless 'what do I do for the best' dilemma faced by parents.

Sobbed at the end and thanked my lucky stars my families ending was so very different.

I wonder - is he talking from personal experience? If so, then maybe the film message will reach those who are affected by mental health issues?

[njr]

Yes, the poster said “and thanked my lucky stars my families (sic) ending was so very different.” (he meant “my family’s”)

Nancy

[jo]

Another favorable IMDB review - giving a nod to Zeller's filmmaking craft...and acting performances of Hugh and Zen.

Also noted, the number of IMDB raters continues to grow - showing interest in this divisive film.

Especially noted are the perfect 10 ratings which also continue to grow.

8/10
Expertly crafted emotional journey..

cagdasf15 April 2023

This is the second feature film by Florian Zeller that I have watched and exists (other than his documentary) and I could say with full confidence that he certainly knows which buttons to press to get our emotions and feelings flowing and put it all on the table.

It is a gripping drama, which tackles complex themes such as forgiveness, redemption, family dynamics with elegance and in a susceptible manner.

The movie also shows how we should all love unconditionally as we simply cannot know what someone else may be feeling and going through.

I was hugely impressed, with the mood the director Florian Zeller created, which pulls you in, all the way. It's a proper drama.

Although it's an indoor drama, the cinematography alongside the writing is beautifully and smoothly planned and executed.

What really makes this movie stand out has got to be how Mr. Zeller plays with our emotions and reminds us of both our memories as well as feelings. It is expertly crafted.

As simple as some of the shoots are, the Director plays with element of time expertly by taking you back and forth without you even realising whilst prodding all your emotions at the same time.

It is definitely worth mentioning amazing performances by the whole cast especially the main two characters; the father (Hugh Jackman) and the son (Zen Mcgrath).

Overall its an amazing movie.

[jo]

God... what a strong movie THE SON, THE SON.
Talking about mental health is important, after the pandemic, cases of depression, anxiety and suicide skyrocketed, especially in adolescents.
Hugh Jackman is excellent.

[jo]

I came across a YouTube trailer of THE SON.

Can't believe all the comments I've read (many - please expand to the replies in each post) -- many crying for help as the movie touches realities/ many recounting their own stories/ many saying that this movie deserved better!

I hope Florian & Hugh et had a chance to see these comments. They would feel so pleased that they have done their job and calling as artists with a right motivation to their pursuit of their art!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJWRY4DzoAQ

[jo]

If you read his suggestion - he is not talking of a sequel -- but an interesting prequel which explores deeply the relationship of Peter and his Dad and how that relationship may have also been brought to bear on Peter's relationship with Nicholas.

Hugh Jackman and Anthony Hopkins -- wow -- could be double Oscar nominees

[jo]

I looked up the link to which this person was referring to -- it turns out that it was the case of a medical doctor who overheard 2 people discussing about a mother who was acting weirdly after childbirth...a link was made to the person's family and they were connected to a professional who diagnosed it as post-partum depression...

It seems another beneficial effect of being exposed to a movie like THE SON was to become more aware and being able to help when another person is showing abnormal or unusual behavior.

The Son illustrated how the people surrounding someone with depression were not aware enough of the seriousness of the level of depression of a member of the family...leading to a tragedy ( which could have been avoided).

Jo

[jo]

IMDB members continue to share their impression of the movie --

8/10
Don't listen to the critics

sittingherewatchingfilms21 April 2023

Yet another film where I believe the professional critics get it wrong. If anything, listen to normal moviegoers, everyday folk.

It's an emotional tour de force and as good as any other film out there, dealing with the issue of mental health in young people. Guilt, regret, decisions and mistakes made are all issues explored, and their impact on children. Yes, it's a tough watch, but includes many areas that will resonate with families.

Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern excel. Both they, and Vanessa Kirby playing the younger 2nd wife, in their different ways are unable to cope with the difficulties posed by The Son. It's as much a story about how mental illness impacts on those around it as well as the individual struggling.

A very brief cameo by Anthony Hopkins but crucial to the overall father/son theme that develops throughout.

[jo]

3 IMDB reviews from early on --

8/10
The road (not) taken

Horst_In_Translation9 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers

"The Son" is a relatively new movie from 2022 and this is a co-production between the United Kingdom and France and the first component is more dominant here in terms of this being an English-language movie from beginning to end and the second component is more dominant in terms of writer and director Florian Zeller because he originates from France. He wrote his play "The Father" many years ago and the movie that brought Anthony Hopkins his second Oscar two years ago was not the first time that said play got turned into a movie. By the way, Zeller of course also won the Oscar there for his screenplay, namely together with the more experienced Christopher Hampton who won his first Oscar already the year the Berlin Wall fell. Given the huge success of "The Father", it is no surprise that Zeller took a relatively similar route here. You see that already from the title of "The Son", a film that runs for slightly over two hours if you include closing credits and slightly under if you dismiss them. The cast has big names too: Hugh Jackman is always easy to identify and his inclusion was maybe the main reason why I wanted to see the film. Big fan here, not only because of "Les Misérables", but it helped. Just watched a stage show linked to the film not too long ago, one that had all the songs. That is another story though and now we go back to this film here. I was talking about the cast. Laura Dern is an Oscar winner now and honestly I cannot say too much positive about her. Never saw a great deal of talent in her. She does not seem to have many different face expressions and also tends to overact in her movies. I like her dad though, he's a decent actor. Pity his talent did not really wander to the next generation. Vanessa Kirby, who plays the second big female character, scored her (first) Oscar nomination also not too long ago and she was not famous at all before that. I think her portrayal here was merely okay, she did not really win me over either. It was rather the males here who impressed me.

With Jackman, I am biased, but Zen McGrath was new to me. I am not sure yet if he was just the perfect casting decision for a suffering character or if he is really very talented, but time will tell. He has been acting for almost a decade before this film already, quite a long time given his age, but I have not seen him in anything else. Not many have because these projects were not really known. So you can say that what we have here is his breakthrough role. He held his own well next to Jackman and the two experienced female actors in here. I am surprised that he scored almost no awards recognition at all. I am also surprised that critics, but also regular movie-goers were not particularly fond of the outcome overall. I mean I don't expect the same success "The Father" had, but the ratings and positive receptions are lower than I thought. Much lower maybe even. Oh, speaking of "The Father" again, Anthony Hopkins also agreed to show up for a little cameo in this film here and I thought he was another quality addition. He plays the protagonist's father of course, but it is not the same character from the previous film I am 99% sure. He seemed to be at good health (also the actor I hope) and also he played a character that will not accept any weaknesses at all and who never would have let his family get in the way of his professional ambitions, which is also why he does not understand his son's decision to step away from joining the campaign of an aspiring politician and instead stay at home to be there for his boy. Here you can say that the film's title "The Son" did not only refer to McGrath's character. There are quite a few sons in here, even one who is still a baby. So the film could also have been called "The Sons".

Anyway, the key issue in this film that you could even call the main antagonist is depression. The boy is suffering from a severe form of it that might even result in suicide attempts and he really tries to change the situation when he decides to leave his mother for a while and live with his dad instead. The problem, however, is really inside him and it is not the outside world. Other conflicts include the main character's decision a while ago to divorce his woman (Dern) to live with his new girlfriend (Kirby) and the boy does not cope well with that at all, but still he does not hate his father or anything because of what he did. We are also not supposed to hate the man as we see he gets along better with Dern's character again and we are also told that the man stayed with Dern's character back then for years to make the boy's childhood less stressful this way. So Jackman's character did bring some sacrifice for sure. He is not evil. The fact that he cancels the support for the aforementioned politician is also telling enough. Anyway, just one thing, even if it sounds maybe a bit mean, I had a hard time to imagine Dern's and Jackman's characters as a couple. I am not even saying the age difference is a factor, but it's rather the looks. They explained this in a way by saying that Dern's character has suffered a lot from the breakup and of course she was also the one who mostly raised the kid and went through a lot of stress there. Just one minor think that kept crossing my mind. On another negative note, the scene early on when the boy has just moved in with his dad it was I think was also not too great how it showed us the trio immediately one after the other with the situations they were in that very moment. But I do not have many other negative criticisms here. I thought this was a really good watch from my perspective and I am definitely glad I went.

It was not a great film from the very start, but I liked the way the boy's struggles were depicted. What he did exactly and also the words he chose. How he could not put his condition into words really. The idea of him not being able to go to school also worked convincingly from my perspective. This is exactly what it could look like / looked like. School/university can just be a gigantic wall in this very case. I also liked the depiction of the relationship between the two women. The very first scene there was already really good how the teenage boy's mother shows up and wakes the child because of the conflict outside the apartment after Kirby's character before that tried to make sure he stays asleep. They did not include any bad blood at all between the two women. No fake pseudo drama. Just convincing like the rest of it. In his big success film before this one here, Zeller took us into the world of an old man who was slowly losing his mental health. Here he takes us into the mind of a mentally unwell teenage boy. The gender is the same and so is the background. Only the age differs, but both have better days and worse days. What "The Father" is maybe mostly remembered for except Hopkins' turn is how Zeller turned the film into something you could call a "mind" plus four other letters starting with f. You know what I mean. He did the same here by playing with the audience's perception and offered basically two alternate endings. Well, the actual ending is the depressing one where the boy has died from committing suicide a few years ago already, but it is easy to say that the film does not have one specific ending. I think that the sad ending was maybe even more appropriate because the book's title in the happy ending just relied too much on the unhappy ending and in reality only one can happen and not both, even if the boy surely thought a lot about suicide, so the title of the book makes sense again from this perspective I guess.

I was surely at the edge of my seat in the last half hour here. Gripping stuff, even if in retrospective I might have preferred a solution between these two extremes. But you can't always get what you want. Becoming a successful writer while at the same time moving in with his girl was also just too much. Plus, he was fully healed there too. In any case, in the other scenario, the moment before the boy leaves for the bathroom, it was all so exaggeratedly harmonic that I (in contrast to the parents) kinda knew something was wrong. The moment when he apologized to his parents for what he did was an indicator of bad news and how the kid was in a way looking for closure. However, it was not this escalation or how things turned out right in the other ending that convinced me to give this film 4 stars out of 5 and not "only" 3 out of 5, but it was the scene with the head psychiatrist before that that was basically the point where the parents had to decide for path a or path b that then would take them to these very different endings. First, I was a bit surprised when they said they cannot take him home with them and then we still see him with them in the car, but immediately afterwards you could understand what Zeller did there. So yeah, this scene with Hugh Quarshie then was really awesome and made it impossible for me to not give out a (very) positive recommendation overall. The film did have some good moments before that too though, like the earring scene or the pre-intercourse interruption. The childhood flashbacks to the beach on the other hand did not do too much for me. That is all then. Overall, I like this film even more than "The Father", maybe because of how much I like Jackman and maybe also because the subject it is about hits closer to home for me, so I am not unbiased, but I think this film here deserves a way better reception than it has so far. Under 50% is just neither fair nor accurate. I give 80. Maybe many hated it simply because it was a depressing watch. Realistically depressing I'd say. This was much better than "Aftersun", the other 2022 film about depression that is getting stellar reviews. I find that one very overrated. By the way, also nice to see Jackman score another Golden Globe nomination for this one here. The dance scene was funny too given HJ's background. I highly recommend the watch.

10/10
Amazing film. Must see for all couples

ylavinski25 September 2022

I saw it yesterday the Zürich Film Festival. It shook me to my foundation. It was like looking in the mirror for two hours. My own position in life: twice divorced successful father with four children, the way the son in the film looks, behaves, and even his passion - writing are strikingly similar to my younger son, now 27. I felt like someone recorded conversations with my children and spouses. It is word to word... The successful father is a curse for his children, or can be... The father of the father in the film is very much like my late father was. The mother in the film is exactly like both of my ex-spouses.

8/10
Hugh Jackman is The Son

Alexander_Blanchett31 January 2023

Warning: Spoilers
I think I am one of the very few people who really loved this and got emotionally very engaged to it. Yes it is inferior to "The Father" but that was to be expected as "The Father" was one of the true masterpieces of the last years. This is more conventional and straight forward.

I have read many reviews of people complaining it is not depicting mental illness correctly or at least very shallow and cliched. I cannot judge that as I never experienced mental illness and to me it appeared to be very believable, Other complained that it is not out of the perspective of the son but of the father, well that makes sense. Because the film is less about mental illness as such but rather how it is handled by a parent. And it is about a generation conflict, the father wants to be a better father than his own father was. Ever thought that the title of The Son is not referring to the kid but rather to Hugh Jackman's character? He plays a son who had a bad childhood, who blames his father for a lot of things and whose father is not regretting any of it. Now he is in the position to face a challenge with his own kid and tries to be a better father than his own father. But as he never got affection, understanding and probably love as a son himself, it is hard for him to forward these emotions to his own kid who has serious issues that are therefor difficult to handle for Jackman's character.

This is how I interpret the film and title, and I think due to bad marketing that got lost in many audiences perspectives.

I loved Hugh Jackman who gave a tremendous performance. One of his career best for sure. He has many layers of emotions to go through and his final scenes are simply devastating. Surely deserves more attention than he received. Laura Dern is servevable as always. A good performance, not truly outstanding, but nails it nevertheless. Vanessa Kirby had the more interesting role and therefor was able to show more facettes due to the conflict she goes through. Anthony Hopkins appears in a small but very memorable and effective role. Great work again that shows his fantastic range (He plays to Grandfather characters this year that couldn't e more different .- see Armageddon Times).

Last but not least we have Zen McGrath. Many people complained about his performance. I dont get this. I thought he was fantastic and really captured the essence of his role. He did make me care for his character and his well-being. I was really attached to him and that proves that his performance worked perfectly for me. Dont understand the bashing.

Besides the fantastic ensemble acting we also have a very solid direction by Florian Zeller. He builds up tension effectively and takes his time for his characters. Great job again. The screenplay was great, too. I dont get the criticism there either. I think people were expecting too much for a second "The Father" and were disappointed that this was taking a completely different and more straight forward direction.

[jo]

From IMDB --

10/10
One of the best dramas

lto-3886722 April 2023

Most excellent drama I've ever watched. The tale in the movie is undoubtedly based on some form of genuine occurrences because it is so masterfully made. It tells the tale of today's youth and how they cope with having divorced parents in the background of their lives. How this is hurting them, and how the parents' erroneous decision was affected by the irrational feelings of their child. This century is extremely familiar with the tale of parents who questioned the effectiveness of the medical system and medical knowledge for their kids. The tale of a father who feels like a bad parent. The conclusion is extremely unexpected and emphasises the need of making the best choice at the appropriate time. There is no going backwards!