‘The Son Movie Review: Florian Zellers Drama Indeed Falls Far From The Tree Of ‘The Father
Florian Zeller's 2020 drama Father is a shocking tsunami that destroys everything in its path. Die Seun serves as a sequel and supplement, but falls short of its predecessor. The film's premise fits its undeniably complex subject matter in many ways, but it hinges its emotional climax on a manipulative center that lacks sincerity.
'The Son' finds a broken family trying to rebuild their lives
Peter (Hugh Jackman) is a busy professional with the promise of new opportunities and a challenging career that he has worked hard to achieve over the years. He juggles these duties with his personal life with his new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and their newborn baby. But when Peter's ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) asks him to help her with an increasingly complicated situation involving her teenage son Nicholas (Jane McGrath), their seemingly orderly life spirals into chaos.
The teenagers and Kate struggle with trying to mend their relationship, but get nowhere. As a result, Nicholas moves in with Peter and Beth, but his problems simmer beneath a thin layer of normality. The trauma of the past manifests itself in every aspect of the young man's life as he ponders how his family has fallen apart.
Fatherhood period
Writers Zeller and Christopher Hampton weave complex character dynamics in The Son, based on Zeller's play of the same name. Nicholas's depression is the catalyst that leads him to confront his mess with Peter, Beth, and Kate, but no one can adequately express their feelings. Zeller and Hampton slowly tell the story of this relationship, always explaining why they ended.
The inability of adults to express their insecurities and doubts becomes a disturbing reality with Nikolai's despair. He feels deeply and wants to connect, but is completely unable to understand or make sense of his experience of mental illness. It's definitely a disappointing show that continues to grow. Nicholas remains a constant topic of discussion, but the fact that adults do not control the outside world is no less important.
Given Dae Seung 's title, it's no surprise that it focuses on the relationship between parents and sons. But this strained the father-son relationship even more. Peter is clearly scarred by his own father, but the full extent of his family life is never fully revealed. Rather, they reflect Peter's approach to Nicholas, perpetuating a seemingly endless cycle of neglect and loss. There's a thread about how running away from their problems brings out their biggest fears and insecurities, exploding in a catastrophic ripple effect.
"Son" is a funny drama, without any bitterness.
RELATED: Venice Film Festival 2022: 13 Most Popular Films Not to Miss
Zeller had an amazing visual experience in Father, and it played a brilliant role in his stories. Meanwhile, he's filming The End from a simpler point of view. Based on the perspective of Peter, who prefers his father's unconscious perspective to that of Nicholas, the story follows a man caught between the horrors of being a son and the horrors of being a father. Directing often feels like a theatrical performance, never finding a way to use cinema to tell your story in a different way.
However, Zelleri is still attracted by the impressive performance of most of the actors. Jackman digs deep and thrives mostly in the film's quieter and sadder moments. Some of its bigger moments become over-the-top action that lacks the sincerity of the more introspective scenes. Dern, meanwhile, is fully sympathetic, transforming Keith from a scrap of paper to the film's most compelling character. Similarly, Kirby, like Beth, offers layers that look at the world beyond the original family trio. McGrath works with a less likeable character than Nicholas, but he's a strong weak link in law enforcement.
The Boy has a plausible idea about the connection between love and depression, but it turns out to be a debilitatingly dishonest one. Zell is next to the film's most intriguing mysteries, the women in Peter and Nicholas' lives and Peter's father. What we are left with is a historical story that we never saw.
Son hits theaters in Los Angeles and New York on November 25th and opens on December 16th.
How to get help? For help from a Crisis Counselor in the United States and Canada , text the Crisis Text Line to 741741 .
