THE SON : World Premiere

[jo]

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/Cbn9kfeARZZ

Do read our conversation (Benjamin & myself )

bajph1
No Congratulations to your buddy Hugh/Harold on the world premiere of his movie THE SON?
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bpajak24
@bajph1 OMG posting now. Thank you. 😮

Check out Ben's Instagram Stories.

Jo

[jo]

Hugh Jackman's Day at the Lido!

Laying in the center

Jackman arrived in Venice on Monday and has already immortalized himself posing in the historic center, between a speedboat crossing in the Grand Canal and an aperitif with the director to whom he addressed a message from social media: «Honored to sit next to Florian Zeller and share with the world our film "The son"». Jackman will arrive this morning at the Lido around 13-13.30 for the press conference of the film scheduled at 13.45, then red carpet of the great occasions at 1915. Next to him there will be the female protagonist, the English actress Vanessa Kirby, who two years ago at the Lido won the Volpi Cup for the intense interpretation of a mother who loses her son during home birth in "Pieces of a woman" and to complete the trio of presences also Laura Dern, Lynchian actress, passed several times at the Exhibition.

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www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2022/streaming

1:45 pm Press conference of the film The Son (Venezia 79)

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O from the Venice’s Block
@bradipo22
The Son mi è parso un film superiore a The Father ed in tutta onestà forse è il primo di questa edizione che do scontatissimo sarà nei 10 di Best Picture

Translated from Italian by Google --

The Son seemed to me to be a film superior to The Father and in all honesty maybe it is the first of this edition that I take for granted will be in the 10 Best Picture

O from the Venice’s Block
@bradipo22
Hugh Jackman ci ha messo tutto il carisma e l’intensità, cioè le tonnellate, che aveva e Laura Dern in un ruolo mezzo lead avrà candidatura sicura
Zeller a livello fi regia ha sfruttato molto bene la colonna sonora ed in generale ha avuto un tocco più pulito rispetto al debutto

Translated from Italian by

Hugh Jackman has put in all the charisma and intensity, that is the tons, that he had... and Laura Dern in a half lead role will have a safe candidacy

Zeller at the directing level made very good use of the soundtrack and in general had a cleaner touch than the debut.

[jo]

The Fans section started lining up at 7:00 am ( Press conference is at 1:45 pm ( Hugh is expected at 1:00 to 1:30 pm).

The red carpet appearance is at 7:15 pm.

[jo]

I have just watched the Press Conference ( it was on live streaming).

*Full house among the press - and if only they had time, each one wanted to ask a question. It seems that they may have already seen the movie ( 0r at least some of them, because they knew what questions to ask that relate to the film.

*Hugh was getting the barrage of questions. Florian, too ( he is very impressive - you wouldn't guess that he is more of the theatre than cinema). Laura and Vanessa were also very smart and gave deep replies. Even Zen could do it on his own.

It is hard to repeat all the questions asked - because they do relate directly to the film and the characters.

*Hugh got questions from how it felt to step out of the theatrical stage and back to the world of cinema...and back to Music Man again. He did say that he has 4 months to go with TMM. I think he was getting a bit uncomfortable that many want to direct questions to him ("I talk too much!"). He shared how much he enjoyed the short acting moments with Anthony Hopkins. He was also teased about a dancing scene in the movie ( that it must be heard to pretend not knowing how to dance if you were Jackman). The most serious question he was asked was how he, as a father, related to the movie and the lessons from it. On a light note : According to Hugh, when he asked Ava how he can do a Dad-dance - she said that he does not need any lessons on how Dads dance (Haha!)

*Florian is a real intellectual... what is so impressive is that he seems to be a very normal and very likable person. Friendly, clear-minded, relevant always in his answers. He was asked whether he is now giving up the theatre -- he said NO but he is now more focused on things cinematic!

Btw, he was asked about comparing The Father and The Son. He said that THE FATHER was more about looking outside from the inside...while THE SON was the reverse - how the characters are approaching how to help someone whom they could not help (from the outside to the inside, if I am explaining it well - sorry!)... He also explained that the reason why he changed the setting from Paris to New York is because New York represented the crossroad of the whole world - that it was representative of what happens there could also be happening in other parts of the world.


Btw, he said that in the first interview with Hugh - he said that he was not prepared to make a decision on the casting. After 8 minutes - he thought he had found his "Peter" and offered Hugh the role!


*Vanessa speaks way more mature...way beyond her fashion model looks. She seems to look up to Hugh.

*Laura is also so reassuring, smart, and expressed so well the emotions at play in this story of characters unable to help the one person who needs it.


What I am getting from the session is that THE SON is going to be a tremendous movie, it is going to touch our emotions and our hearts and our minds ( as Florian highlighted - mental illness is the epidemic that the pandemic brought to the fore and it must be addressed). One could almost feel the tension and the drama and the audience melting with understanding and feelings of helplessness. As Florian said - after the play opened in London, the audience approached him - not to congratulate him -- but to say that " we have a problem of the sort, too!".


Maybe I am favoring the movie too much -- but I have a gut feeling that this is going to create waves at the festival -- and will likely have a great shot to win The Golden Lion... and maybe even create bigger waves when the nominations for Best Picture for the Oscars is released!

I thought - I am almost afraid to watch the play of emotions in this film... it is not because it may cause us to shed buckets of tears - but to ask, have we helped enough when someone came to us to ask for help!


PS: There were still many people wanting to ask questions but then it was time for the next press conference...So, what did the press people do -- they all approached the table and zeroed in on Hugh ... to take his photo! LOL!


Jo

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http://instagram.com/p/CiNNjK3DoqK

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Capturing some of the highlights --

Hugh Jackman, in the name of his son"Feeling of fire reading the script, an important film to understand that the love of others can not always save us," says the actor. Protagonist in The Son by Florian Zeller, in competition at Venice 797
September 2022
Festival, Highlights, CharactersSHARESaveHugh Jackman, in the name of his son
Hug Jackman - Photo Karen Di Paola


"In The Father the scene was the story, to take the viewer to a specific place, the brain of the character, it was a very subjective experience. Here the question is much more linear, direct, it was necessary to go straight on the subject, face it, tell the story from the various points of view, that of the father, the mother, the people surrounding this teenager: try to get into his head but realize that it is impossible to do it ".

After the acclaimed The Father, Florian Zeller makes his debut in competition in Venice with The Son, another film based on one of his plays, a drama that follows a family struggling to get back together after falling apart.

The Son – Zen McGrath, Laura Dern, Hugh Jackman

The Son centers on Peter (Hugh Jackman), whose hectic life with his newborn son and new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby) is turned upside down when ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) reappears with his teenage son Nicholas (Zen McGrath).

The young man has been missing from school for months and is tormented, distant and angry. Peter strives to take care of Nicholas as he would have liked his father (Anthony Hopkins) to have taken care of him, as he juggles between work, Beth's new son and offering her dream location in Washington. However, trying to make up for the mistakes of the past, he loses sight of how to hold on to Nicholas in the present.

"After seeing The Father and reading the script for The Son I really wanted this role, I had a feeling of fire reading the script and at the same time the feeling that this part was right for me at this time in my life," says Hugh Jackman, who took little to convince the director.

Hug Jackman – Photo Karen Di Paola

"I was very touched by Hugh's humility and honesty: we met on Zoom and after eight minutes I offered him the part because I had a feeling that he had a very strong connection with the story, that he wanted to explore the role in depth. From that moment on, it was a very intense experience," reveals Zeller, who adds: "I've been wanting to make it for several years. I was so determined to tell this story that I couldn't tell any other story, nor from a different point of view. It's partly inspired by emotions I know personally. I wanted to share them with the audience because I know that many people are confronted with mental disorders and that the shame and stigma associated with these issues can hinder necessary and sometimes vital conversations."

Something that needs to be talked about, adds Hugh Jackman, who explains: "Love is not always enough to save someone. All the characters in this film love a lot but feel incapable, but realizing it is important because it is a path that leads to vulnerability, to the possibility of understanding the position of others. As parents we have always been taught to be strong, independent, able to deal with anything related to our films and instead I have learned to share my vulnerabilities with my boys, aged 17 and 22."

The cast – Photo Karen Di Paola

Purchased for Italy by 01 distribution, which will soon bring it to Italian cinemas, The Son "represents what I always try to find in cinema", says Vanessa Kirby, who explains: "The best cinema is the one that offers us questions that are rarely answered, Florian Zeller's films try to explore the meanders of issues that sometimes we believe are only ours and instead we realize that they are questions that unite us".


Vanessa Kirby – Photo Karen Di Paola

Why is Nicholas so sick? What triggered this evil of living? Could the divorce of the parents, which took place a couple of years earlier, be the reason?

"The son talks about divorce, he wants to blame someone, which is quite common when it comes to mental health. I did not want to explain the origin of all this, because it is not said that there is a specific origin, capturing that mystery was the challenge of the film", says the director, thanked by Laura Dern "for the way in which this story was realized. We've come out of the pandemic, we know it's sparked mental health crises, one of the most important parts of the journey is that when we feel lonely, helpless, we can turn to people who have already had to deal with these things."

[jo]

[jo]

Deadline already has a feature story on Hugh Jackman!

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Hugh Jackman Says Role In ‘The Son’ Changed His Own Approach To Parenting – Venice

By Nancy Tartaglione

Nancy Tartaglione
International Box Office Editor/Senior Contributor

@deadlinenancy

VIEW ALL
September 7, 2022 6:12am

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The Son star Hugh Jackman told the Venice press corps today that his role as a father struggling with his child’s mental health issues has had an impact on how he behaves with his own kids. “For many, many years as a parent the job was to appear strong and dependable and never worried and I don’t want to burden my children. But certainly since this movie I’ve changed my approach. I share my vulnerabilities more with my 17- and 22-year-old and I see their relief when I do.”

Jackman is on the Lido for the world premiere in competition of Florian Zeller’s follow-up to his 2020 Oscar-winning The Father. As with that film, The Son is adapted from Zeller’s own stage play with Christopher Hampton.

Alongside Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby and Zen McGrath also star with The Father Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins playing Jackman’s dad.

The story follows a family as it struggles to reunite after falling apart. The film centers on Peter (Jackman), whose hectic life with his infant and new partner (Kirby) is upended when his ex-wife Kate (Dern) appears with their son Nicholas (McGrath), who is now a teenager. The young man has been missing from school for months and is troubled, distant and angry. Peter strives to take care of Nicholas as he would have liked his own father to have taken care of him. While juggling work, his new baby, and the offer of his dream position in Washington, he loses sight of how to hold onto Nicholas in the present.

Zeller commented today, “We all share the same dilemma. It is so difficult to make the right decision as a parent. In this situation they make the wrong decision thinking they can fix it by themselves… There is a moment when it’s okay to accept being powerless and impotent.”

For Jackman, “The movie really does see how isolated, particularly around mental health issues, people get. There is a shame, there is a guilt, there is an intense desire to fix things… But realizing our powerlessness, and I can relate to this as a parent, admitting and leading with that vulnerability leads to the possibility of really actually being able to understand and empathize with those people around you, to walk in their shoes and to have real honesty… Hopefully the movie does start conversations, hopefully the movie reminds us to never worry alone.”

Jackman also noted that when he read the script for The Son he had “a feeling like a fire in my gut, it was a compulsion… A feeling you rarely get as an actor: This part is for you and you must play it.”

Sony Pictures Classics will release The Son on November 11 in New York and Los Angeles before expanding domestically and in select international markets.

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Btw --

Streaming link


www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2022/streaming

Red carpet at 7:15 pm Italian time.

[jo]

The Hollywood Reporter files its story, too.

Venice: Hugh Jackman Says Reading ‘The Son’ Was a “Feeling Like a Fire in My Gut”
Florian Zeller's follow-up to his acclaimed directorial debut 'The Father,' also starring Laura Dern and Vanessa Kirby, is getting its world premiere on the Lido.


BY ALEX RITMAN

Plus Icon

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 6:28AM
The Son, Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman in 'The Son' COURTESY OF VENICE FILM FESTIVAL


Hugh Jackman says he was driven to reach out directly to Florian Zeller to ask if he could star in The Son, the playwright-turned-filmmaker’s sophomore feature following his acclaimed — and Oscar-winning — directorial debut The Father.

Like The Father, The Son was adapted from one of Zeller’s plays, this time tackling the subject of depression and centering on 17-year-old Nicholas — newcomer Zen McGrath — whose growing struggle with mental health begins to devastate the lives of his New York lawyer father Peter (Jackman) and mother Kate (Laura Dern). Vanessa Kirby, meanwhile, plays Beth, Pete’s new partner, the arrival of whom and his parent’s divorce Nicholas largely blames for his deteriorating condition.



Speaking at the film’s press conference in Venice ahead of its world premiere on Wednesday evening, Jackman said he’d seen The Father and had almost appeared in one of Zeller’s plays, but the script for The Son gave him a rare burning desire that told him he had to play Peter.

“When I read The Son I had a feeling like a fire in my gut,” he said, speaking alongside Zeller, Dern, Kirby and McGrath. “It’s a scary feeling to have, but it’s beautiful. You rarely get it as an actor, that this part is right for you at this part of your life and you must get it.”

The fear, Jackman admitted, was that he wouldn’t get the part, so he emailed Zeller directly. “I said, I don’t know if you’re dancing with someone on this, and I don’t want to cut in on that dance.”

Thankfully, Zeller hadn’t been dancing with any other actor, and a subsequent Zoom meeting with Jackman immediately told him he had his man.

“After 8 minutes I offered him the part,” Zeller explained. “I felt something really strong about why he was connected to that story, and that we could explore really emotional territories. And it was the best decision I ever made, because from then on it was the most fruitful journey.”

Dern noted the timing of The Son, saying that film was being released during “greatest crisis” coming out of the pandemic, which is the “epidemic of mental health, especially in adolescents.”

“It’s frightening,” she said. “Even you feel powerless, even when you feel alone in shame, guilt and blame, you can turn to so many who have been there before and may advise you. We all long to feel community in this larger conversation we must be having about mental health.”
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[jo]

He's not signing!


Jo