THE SON - Fan Page

[jo]

From a discussion on ATC (All That Chat) --

Apr 23, 2023 0:05:58 GMT -5 jo said:

More ATC discussions --

re: H.E.R. is ... coming aboard as a producer of 'Here Lies Love'
Last Edit: WaymanWong 11:34 pm EDT 04/22/23
Posted by: WaymanWong 11:33 pm EDT 04/22/23
In reply to: re: H.E.R. is ... coming aboard as a producer of 'Here Lies Love' - jo 10:40 pm EDT 04/22/23
Early last fall, Hugh Jackman got some Oscar buzz for ''The Son,'' directed by Florian Zeller, the Oscar-winning writer-director of ''The Father.''

''The Son'' was based on a play by Zeller, just as ''The Father'' was. Jackman pursued the role. And its Oscar prospects looked promising.

He even received a Golden Globe nomination. But the reviews were devastating. At Rotten Tomatoes, the critics only scored it at 29%.

I actually saw ''The Son'' in a movie theater. Jackman gave it his all, but the film was terribly contrived. Better luck with his next movie!

re: H.E.R. is ... coming aboard as a producer of 'Here Lies Love'
Last Edit: jo 12:40 am EDT 04/23/23
Posted by: jo 12:25 am EDT 04/23/23
In reply to: re: H.E.R. is ... coming aboard as a producer of 'Here Lies Love' - WaymanWong 11:33 pm EDT 04/22/23

Interesting reaction to THE SON, the movie.

*The play was very well-received in London, so it is not a failed script even when adapted to film.

*RottenTomatoes overall score is much lower than Audience Score of 64% or that at IMDB (6.2 weighted avg, but median is 7) or that of the more respected Metacritic ( 45%)
That it received a 10-minute standing ovation at its premiere at the Venice filmfest also tells a different story.

*Top critics like Variety, Playlist, the UK Guardian, and some European critics gave it a favorable review - so the reviews have been divisive.

*Could be that the critics and some audiences had a different cinematic focus compared to Zeller's cinematic vision. He has said in many interviews that the film is NOT meant to be a medical procedural ( what caused it? how to cure it? did he get cured? ). It is much more provocative than that. It is focused on the familial drama surrounding a person with depression. It is all about the people who may love him but are unable to dig deeper and help him reach a cure...so the director's challenge is to provoke conversations on the subject rather than be a story-docu on how to help a person with depression.

*Btw, it is generally conceded that the titular son was not Nicholas but Peter ( Jackman) as the story is focused on him as a father and as a son ( with a cruel upbringing). Jackman has actually said this in one interview. Can the genes of a cruel father be passed on to his son ( in a way in this story, Peter is neglecting his son's welfare when he divorced his wife and found another family and became too busy with his career).

*For me, the early scene showing how Peter taught little boy Nicholas how to swim was key. The little boy was very reassured that his Dad won't ever let go...Later in life, Peter has done away with that sense of responsibility for his boy ( which Nicholas is now missing ) by getting divorced from Nicholas's mother, by moving on to a new family, but being too involved in his profession. Nicholas tried to regain the same closeness by living with him... but it did not work, hence his depression probably got deeper.

It is indeed a provocative movie. Hopefully, it will eventually get more foothold with the people who matter -- the adolescent with mental health issues, the parents of someone with depression, the professionals ( the psychiatrists, the pediatricians, etc) who may be able to help... so Zeller's vision of inviting attention would have been served. And hopefully, there will be some revisionist thinking about the movie with critics ( remember the reaction to THE FOUNTAIN - 10 years after the bad reaction to the release of the movie, many revisionist reviews found their way a decade later? But on IMDB, the Fountain while also divisive has drawn such interesting and often respectful comments even early on.

Rather a movie like this, occasionally, than some of the fluff we get these days?

Thanks for your comments.

re: H.E.R. is ... coming aboard as a producer of 'Here Lies Love'
Last Edit: jo 12:56 am EDT 04/23/23
Posted by: jo 12:52 am EDT 04/23/23
In reply to: re: H.E.R. is ... coming aboard as a producer of 'Here Lies Love' - jo 12:25 am EDT 04/23/23
Here's the list of reputable critics who gave it favorable reviews - from Metacritic ( which is regarded as the more strict meter of critical success)


Also, updated score on IMDB is 6.3. They have some very detailed reviews representing audience reactions. IMDB raters are usually film buffs.
Link: www.metacritic.com/movie/the-son-2022/critic-reviews
reply

[jo]

From a fan from the Netherlands --

Els ( Nyozen)
@vegterels
Lange vlucht, ik keek #TheSon goede film met sterke cast, een verdrietig verhaal dat me nog lang bij blijft. Met oa Hugh Jackman en Vanessa Kirby

Translated from Dutch by Google:

Long flight, I watched #TheSon good film with strong cast, a sad story that will stay with me for a long time. Starring Hugh Jackman and Vanessa Kirby

[jo]

Presumably, some reviews were the outcome of the home video release.

Another late review from IMDB --

(Ratings-wise, for a supposedly-poor-critical-reaction movie, near-7000 raters have put in their ratings on IMDB)

10/10
Pure art

zicteban24 April 2023

That movie is as sad as great! Kkkk What is amusing for me is that I do prefer this movie to the highly acclaimed "The father", which was a bit messy and confusing for me, even though Anthony Hopkins was, of course, fantastic.

He also acts greatly in "The son". However, he just has just a little appearance, and what carries us out all along this unfolding drama is the incredible performace by Hugh Jackman.

Let's be frank: although I have always loved this actor and his energy, I cannot but confess that the last scene is one of the more beautiful and hearthbreaking I have seen in my entire (medium long) life.

What is also quite funny is that I know the Zeller family. I went to school with Florian big sister, I knew about his health problem as a teen, as I was living in the same street than them. To end up this personal chapter, I have to add that I am also a writer, and one of my book was compared with Zeller's "Neiges artificielles". I would not be able to say why since I haven't read it. What is sure is that, unfortunately for me, my work hasn't been as successful as his, at all! Kkkk

Congratulations to Zeller and Jackmann for this piece of life, beautiful piece of art.

[jo]

From Amazon (USA) --

Customer Reviews:
4.0 (4.0 out of 5 stars)
38 ratings

[jo]

[jo]

On IMDB --

A teacher shares his/her view of the movie --

9/10
Powerful and real

srgymrat3325 April 2023

I am confused by the negative reviews honestly. As someone who spends a lot of time around high school age kids as a teacher I found this representation of teenage depression and mental illness to be very authentic and quite relatable.

All of the leads were very very good , the chemistry was not always great and that actually made it feel more real and more powerful . Peter was emotionally unavailable, Beth was going and exhausted as a new mom and trying to figure out her role as a new mom , Kate was having somewhat of an identity crisis and was still heartbroken and in love with her ex-husband. Nicholas was fantastic , the acting was spot on , he connected just enough to give hope but the filmmakers showed you enough hints to know how bad it was in his head .

One of the best scenes was when Nicholas walks in on Beth and Peter being intimate and the immediate uncomfortable feeling that was there after - for all 3 involved . The dance scene was brilliant . The end scene was amazing you could feel the love those two had for their son and each other ( even if just plutonic ) and as humans we are hopeful , we want to see the good we want to help those we love .

The truth is love and life are awkward and messy and don't always flow the way we see in film - this film felt real because that's how we often interact , guarded , awkwardly , not willing to be too vulnerable for fear of being let down or being hurt and so we put on a mask - one way or another .

Watch it , this is good film with amazing writing and quality acting . It's heavy , it makes you think and it draws attention to a very real and important issue.

[jo]

Amazon readers ratings continue to improve --

Customer ratings/reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars

47 global ratings

[jo]

I wrote this for ROTTEN TOMATOES ( Critics : 29%/ Audience Score : 64%)

Josefina B
Apr 29, 2023

*****

This movie is a lesson on how people surrounding a person with depression are usually unaware that there could be deeper problems that causes the depressed person's behavior. Zeller's cinematic focus is not to paint a medical procedural ( what caused his depression, what is the cure, is he cured or not?) but to highlight that many issues, including the behavior of people around a depressed person, could confound the mental health issue. In Peter, a father who is also a "son", we have a man conflicted on how to help his own son. He used to be the rock on whom his son depended on (Look back at the swimming scene with the little boy- how he never let go until after he learned to swim), but now has gone away from his son's life. Is he guilty of the same uncaring attitude of his cruel father, wanting his own son to grow up like he did? The young man tried to recreate the same parental care he experienced as a young boy... but living with him with his new family does not serve his hopes. And knowing how his Dad and his new wife started their affair even before the divorce with his mom seemed to signal to him that his hopes of recreating his once-happy family are gone. Did he give up at that point? A sad but probably a clear-eyed tale of how alienating it can be for children of divorced parents! This could be one aspect that should be looked at by the professionals. A very good movie that should be seen by many of us!

[jo]

[jo]

The rating at IMDB is holding at 6.3.

Another review --

9/10
Brilliant but also a heartbreaking story

adam_traynor30 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Just watched this film today and upon watching it, it brought back memories for me when I was that age.

I really feel that this film really give you a good insight to how a separation/divorce can really impact the children mentally and also physically especially when going into their teenage years.

I also felt that this film did a great job putting the spotlight on self harming amongst young people, when watched those particular scenes I felt really unsettled as it brought back memories of when I did that to myself when I was that age.

Through out the film I was really hoping for a happy ending hoping that the son would get the help he needed.

But sadly that wasn't the case, it just made me really think about all of the people situations like like this have happened to

[jo]

Another 10 of 10* review on IMDB -- but looks at it from a different perspective.

10/10
The father, The son and ...
kosmasp2 May 2023

... well I do wonder, do we get the wholy trinity? No pun intended. This obviously has a connection to the Anthony Hopkins starring The Father. And this may be one of the reasons some people were dissapointed. I do understand it to a degree - expectations, having Hopkins only appear in a very small part in this - still he is as powerful as ever! He steals the scene to say the least - you can feel his presence even after that.

But if you do not let your mind be clouded - if you can free yourself from those restrictions you might be putting on this movie - there is a lot to discover here. The movie is a really great drama. I felt a lot for every character. This may be one of the best depictions of depression - and therefor it is quite the tough movie to watch! Hugh Jackman does it brillantly - everyone is phenomenal - again, try not to compare with Hopkins.

This is a different beast - the boy has to be annoying in a sense. We cannot understand the mindset - I don't think anyone can ... and then decisions have to be made ... and what is the right one - how can you help the best? The movie is not letting you off the hook so easily ... be prepared ...

[jo]

[jo]

More reviews on IMDB --

9/10
Almost perfect
KristenBellFourEver4 May 2023
It was a sad, depressing film and I honestly wasn't expecting that ending. I thought the initial twist at the end was where they'd be heading all along. But no, it wasn't. And it struck me that this is a very relevant movie for so many people, so many parents especially. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away. Getting frustrated that the person suffering from a mental condition won't help it go away. Sympathizing won't help. Seeking treatment won't help. So what's the answer? What is the solution? And that's one thing the movie doesn't really provide closure on. Because it's something everyone has to figure out for themselves ultimately. In my view Hugh Jackman's character did all he possibly could. He handled it the best honestly out everyone in Nicholas's life who were trying to help him. But sometimes people just can't be saved. I don't know what the answers are. I wish I did. Because I feel like I go through what Nicholas is going through all the time. Almost Daily. And no one else sees or, or cares to see it. But I keep going. As long as I'm able to . As hard as it is.

7/10
Quietly affecting
ChuckBristol4 May 2023
No big fireworks but a quietly moving film. Jackman and Dern shine but the actor playing the son struggles with the effort of carrying such a big load. The plot line is arguably too simplistic (successful rich dad, leaves wife and son for new girlfriend and new baby) but the centre is teenage angst and depression, which doesn't often feature centre stage in a movie. There are no real histrionics and everyone seems to move in quiet repressed circles. The genesis of the piece as a play is evident in the simple set scenes and the dearth of secondary characters but overall an accomplished film. Leaves you thoughtful but a little sad.

[jo]

I wonder --

I have read a few reader reviews where the writer admits to suffering something similar or seen it happen.

Is this why the readers' reactions are more sympathetic, even emphatetic?

And why the critics were almost unfeeling, concentrating on the dramaturgy or other technical aspects of filmmaking?

Jo

[jo]

Another IMDB reader review --

7/10
Good Film
thajose7 May 2023
I happened to watch this only because Hugh Jackman's name was attached. I wasn't aware of what the plot synopsis was before I watched it, nor was I aware of the the deep emotional issues that the film would portray.

I thought this was a well made film, one that left me thinking about different elements of the film for a few weeks after I watched it. The actors and acting are top notch, particularly the young man who plays Jackman's son.

Despite the intensely emotional subject matter, I would definitely recommend this to someone who is looking to watch a realistic film, one that explores a person's mental health well-being and how that affects different family members around them.

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

This is the review translation --

Premieres: Review of "The Son" by Florian Zeller (Amazon Prime Video)
by Diego Lerer - cinema, Reviews, Premieres
23 Mar, 2023 05:37 | No comment

The new film from the director of "The Father" focuses on the relationship between a teenager suffering from depression and his family who try to help him, in his own way, overcome it. With Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby and Zen McGrath. Premiere: Thursday, March 23.


After the success of THE FATHER, the French director, writer and playwright Florian Zeller did not try to get original and directed THE SON, both part of a trilogy that he already presented in theater and that culminates with THE MOTHER (if they thought it was "The Holy Spirit" they were wrong room). Although they are not sequelae or directly related to each other, this family trilogy has as its axis a series of mental health problems that afflict its different members. In the case of the film starring Anthony Hopkins it was dementia. This is what depression is all about. More specifically, adolescent depression.

The protagonist is Peter (Hugh Jackman), who is clearly not the boy who suffers from this type of problem, but his father. Peter has long since separated from Kate (Laura Dern) and now has a younger partner named Beth (Vanessa Kirby), with whom he has a small baby. The one who seems to be carrying out this whole process is Nicholas (Zen McGrath), son of Peter and Kate. The alarm begins with a call from Kate to Peter to tell him that she has just discovered that Nicholas has not been to school for a month and that she sees him disturbed, upset, with attacks of violence. Peter then decides to take charge of the situation and take him to live with him, Beth and his little (half) brother.


Taciturn, of few words and most of the time sunk in his own body and thoughts, Nicholas might seem like your typical disaffected teenager. But there's more to it than that and it shows. The move seems to work and he looks a little more active at first, but before any excuse the boy finds a way to recriminate his father for what was a somewhat rough divorce, which affected his mother emotionally. And in his own way Peter tries to repair the damage he may have caused. Beth also gives herself with the best disposition to help Nicholas although from time to time uncomfortable situations arise between them.

The guy has ups and downs but the point of view is usually on Peter so we don't really know what he does when he is alone or how honest or performative there is in what he says. You can tell that he needs attention and that he tries to make clear to his father the damage caused by him leaving his mother for another woman. Personified by Jackman as if he were a character from the '70s or '80s but nowadays – there are many things in the film that seem period even if they are not – Peter is a successful lawyer with a promising career who is willing to step aside to take care of his son. When he meets his own father (played by Anthony Hopkins) the reasons for his decision will be understood a little better.


THE SON advances without haste and without pauses towards a path that is guessed complicated. Peter discovers that Nicholas is hiding a knife, Nicholas learns that Peter has a gun, Beth has a habit of making harsh comments just as Nicholas is listening to her, and Kate (an excellent piece of work by Dern, whose face and body hint at the anguish she is going through) shows up from time to time to check on how things are going. And soon we will realize that what seems to be going well does not really turn out to be so so.


Without the original staging ideas that made EL PADRE an interesting film adaptation of a play, EL HIJO works in a more classic way. Yes, things have been changed to give "air" to the story, but for the most part it works in the elegant but somewhat cold house in which the three live and the small baby that, conveniently, disappears almost the entire film. There are some flashbacks to an ideal (or idealized) childhood of Nicholas, when his parents were still married, but in essence it is a series of conversations and fights in the living room of the family home.

The problem of the film, beyond a couple of unpleasant low blows that Zeller will release with the precision of a somewhat morbid filmmaker, is that it presents its problem in a very schematic way, with ideas, dialogues and situations that do not seem too elaborate or complex. At times one has the feeling of watching a school staging, as if the teenager himself were fictionalizing his experiences and imagining potential dialogues with his father, mother and stepmother.


Even in terms of treatment, THE CHILD is strikingly basic. While it is true that many parents are reluctant to believe in this type of mental illness, it is hardly credible that a professional like Peter does not come up with another idea that is not a cry like "stop fucking and go to school" when he finds out that his son is missing classes. Or his incompetence when it comes to requesting medical help, which he only does when there is clearly no other. And there is one more situation, near the end, that adds to the chain of errors. Peter will want to make an effort to take care of his son but, let's face it, he does almost everything wrong. And it is not enough to put everything in function of the bad relationship he has with his own father. What is lacking there is credibility.


PROBABLE SPOILER ALERT The problem with The Son is that what could be a simple and not entirely intelligent film on the subject of teenage depression becomes especially problematic from certain narrative decisions that come about the end. Not because what happens there is particularly surprising (there is a reason for the phrase "Chekhov's gun"), but because of the way it is told. While THE FATHER fell on the end in somewhat gross acts and situations, that film was sustained by a stronger structure and more interesting ideas about how to combine illness with mise-en-scène. Here all that is not there and what is left in sight is, simply, pure emotional manipulation.

[jo]

Kolombiano Fran
@kolombianof1
para participar en el tema de las peliculas. Me impacto demasiado la historia de la Pelicula "El Hijo", 2022, con Hugh Jackman, me dejo sin respiracion en especial la ultima escena enel baño, con el chico adoslescente. La pelicula narra una realidad con los adolescentes.

Translated from Spanish by Google :

to participate in the theme of the movies. I was too impacted by the story of the movie "The Son", 2022, with Hugh Jackman, it took my breath away, especially the last scene in the bathroom, with the adolescent boy. The film narrates a reality with adolescents.

[jo]

sibarita
@sibarita__8
#ElHijo #drama #HughJackman #AnthonyHopkins #VanessaKirby #LauraDern DRAMÁTICA, FINAL PREDECIBLE Y ARGUMENTO INCOMPLETO, notable película lo q respecta a la desconexión d los padres con hijos adolescentes y lo perjudicial d la triangulación familiar y psicopatologías adolescente

Translated from Spanish by Google:

#ElHijo #drama #HughJackman #AnthonyHopkins #VanessaKirby #LauraDern DRAMATIC, PREDICTABLE ENDING AND INCOMPLETE PLOT, remarkable film regarding the disconnection of parents with adolescent children and the detriment of family triangulation and adolescent psychopathologies

[jo]

It is heartening to see continued interest in THE SON on IMDB

Ratings increase at the rate of additional 100 more raters per week in the last weeks. Presumably this is due to streaming and home video availability.

Average rating is 6.3 ( arithmetic mean is 6.5) for 7700 raters. Those who have rated it 10 continue to maintain its 7.4% share of total raters.

Another new review --

7/10
The Son isn't like The Father
Drawmort15 May 2023

It's very difficult to talk about metacinema when the topic that a film shows you is so sensitive, real and important. It's a clear call for all of us to be alert about those who may need emotional or psychological help.

We were all teenagers once. We all live days of emotional stress, caused by an unfair but totally normal hormonal imbalance. We all feel at some point the pressure not to fit in, to belong or even to be. Adolescence is not easy and Florian Zeller knew how to show it in a good way in his most recent film.

Now, despite all the emotional baggage, I don't think it's on the same level as The Father. The editing work is clearly diminished compared to the film starring Anthony Hopkins, but it's understood that it adjusts to the needs of the story. Even so, it could have stood out in a better way, having the resources and results of the previous film.

The performances are good, especially those of the experienced Hugh Jackman. The young protagonist has a long way to go, but it was not bad at all.

Generally speaking, the movie was long and slow, having unnecessary scenes or dead moments that didn't really add much. Beyond that, there are no great complaints to make. The story is dark, sad, dramatic, with a somewhat predictable ending, but always full of feeling.

Recommended, but under discretion to overly sensitive people.

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

S.
@mrsandman92_
Me acabé de ver 'El hijo' en Prime con Hugh Jackman y quedé destrozado 💔

Translated from Spanish by Google:

I just watched 'The Son' on Prime with Hugh Jackman and I was devastated 💔

[jo]

Anthony F. / Hachim0n - La Tentation Culturelle
@latentaculture
#61 - The Son (2023, Florian Zeller)
Après le père, voilà le fils. Qu'il est surprenant ce film, moins maîtrisé sur sa mise en scène que The Father, mais peut-être plus fort émotionnellement. Belle performance de Hugh Jackman, qui aide beaucoup un film incertain.

Translated from French by Google :

#61 - The Son (2023, Florian Zeller)
After the father, here comes the son. How surprising this film is, less controlled in its staging than The Father, but perhaps stronger emotionally. Nice performance from Hugh Jackman, which helps a lot an uncertain film.