The Son

I was reminded of a movie from 1985 called TWICE IN A LIFETIME. In that one, Gene Hackman left his wife (Ellen Burstyn) for younger, more vivacious Ann-Margret. He lived happily after and everybody else accepted it. But I didn't believe it for a second. In this one, Hugh Jackman has left Laura Dern for somewhat younger Vanessa Kirby and started a new life with a new baby boy. Dern and their teenage son (Zen McGrath) were supposed to just suck it up and get over it. But they didn't. The son especially is in bad shape. This movie is a heck of a lot more honest than TWICE IN A LIFETIME. It is both painful and sad. When the son starts having serious emotional problems, they work it out so that he goes to live with his father and the new wife. Everyone tries to make it work, but it doesn't it. The story is brilliantly acted by the four principal players and Anthony Hopkins, in a dazzling cameo as Jackman's father. The trouble with this film is that there's really no place it can go. It's an untenable situation and no matter what anyone does, the past cannot be changed. Based on a French play, Le Fils, its stage roots show. It isn't claustrophobic, but it IS really talky. The actors handle the dialogue quite well, but their silent moments are every bit as powerful as their big speeches. Jackman, especially, gives a masterful performance in which he runs the gamut of emotions. His final scene is a real tear-jerker, but the part I liked best was when he danced. This is when filmgoers get a brief glimpse of Jackman the charismatic stage performer. (Please let him do more of this in future films!) This movie is a soap opera-a well-done soap opera, but nonetheless, that IS what it is.

Having first hand experience with schizophrenia and bipolar I was curious how they would handle depression. They failed at every attempt. The father gets never an answer and still believes till the end that his son has no serious condition. Utter denial. That was the part that hurt me the most, I got the full support from home, I could stay in the hospital/ward for as long as they, the doctors, deemed good. Here the doctors could not get the message clear enough on the table for the parents. The parents were played into every corner by the son and every time they bought into the meaningless words. It was very hard to watch, I fully agree with primal_1 above. I too had to laugh sometimes where I was certain, that it wasn't meant to be funny. What was more, it is depicted as if wanting the boy back home, is love. It isn't, they fail to see that real love is letting the son get the treatment he needs. Denying that need isn't love at all. This movie shows more the struggle of the parent themselves, the trouble they get into, when they deny that the son really needs serious treatment. The parents play a very detrimental part, and that's shown as sensitive, caring, loving. This movie misses the mark on all points. I still gave it 6 stars, because the acting was very good, so, for someone who knows nothing about mental afflictions, this movie is very watchable.

I don't know much about depression but I do know how people react to it if someone close to them have it. Florian Zeller may not have presented how accurate acute depression is but his depiction of characters around a person suffering from it is near perfect. The Son works for me more than The Father because it relies very little on subtext and the story is out there in the open. Hugh Jackman gives his career best performance as a role of a successful person but an absent father. There are criticisms of how the movie does not empathize with Nicholos but I didn't feel it that way. I felt it was rather accurate because of how less most of us understand what depression is actually is. Most of the times, people think "it's just in your head" or "move forward" are actual solutions to depression. The scene where Hugh Jackman fights with his son was spectacular and shows us how much we are like our dads. Hopkins appears in just one scene but that single scene shows the irony of Jackman's character. The ending was absolutely devastating and very brave. The Son is one of the very films which worked very well for me despite it's not so favourable general public reception.

Greetings again from the darkness. Writer-director Florian Zeller floored me a couple of years ago with his film, THE FATHER (2021). Adapted from Zeller's own play by screenwriter Christopher Hampton (DANGEROUS LIAISONS, 1988), the film starred Anthony Hopkins who gave a searing performance that provided painful insight into what living with dementia must be like - both for the sufferer and for loved ones. Zeller, Hampton, and Hopkins all won Oscars for that film, and they return for this follow-up ... a film that doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor, despite begging us to think otherwise. Hugh Jackman stars as Peter, an incredibly busy and important Manhattan lawyer who wears fancy suits, works in a corner office with a view, and attends vital meetings with high-profile clients. Peter has a beautiful wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and newborn son, and is on the verge of entering high stakes politics as a consultant when his ex-wife Kate (Oscar winner Laura Dern, MARRIAGE STORY, 2019) knocks on the door of Peter's and Beth's charming (and high rent) apartment. Kate informs him that their 17-year-old son Nicholas (Zen McGrath) has skipped school every day for the past month, and now wants to come live with his dad. Convinced he's a better father than his own, Peter believes he must allow Nicholas to move in, and Beth is so committed to Peter and exhausted from caring for the baby, that she offers no resistance. Peter is a professional problem solver and somehow this brilliant lawyer believes a couple of lectures and pep talks will cure Nicholas of his teenage blues and get him on the right track towards success. He's convinced his efforts are working and that Nicholas is improving ... right up until the point where it's obvious, he's not. How all these folks take so long to recognize mental illness and depression is beyond comprehension. Sure, Nicholas is manipulative; he knows what these adults want to hear, and he tells them. The ridiculous part is they believe him. The film's best scene is the one where Peter faces his own father. Two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins is a powerful force as the one who scoffs at Peter's viewpoint of parenthood, both past and present. This scene could have made a terrific short film and is so insightful that it's at odds with the balance of the film. Unfortunately, much of the rest plays like a made-for-TV movie with its slick stylings on poor parenting and teenage issues. There are a few moments early on that give off a horror film vibe, but that's not what this is. Instead, it's an attempt to reflect modern day parenting and the helpless feelings of guilt we feel when our kids are suffering. Hopefully most parents are a bit more attuned to their teens, and we also hope that most schools don't wait a full month before alerting parents that their kid has dropped out. Opens in theaters on January 20, 2022.

This could have been a powerful film/story, but the kid who plays the titular roll of the son, Nicolas (Zen MacGrath), is one of the worst actors I've ever seen. I've never even been in a school play, but i'm 100% sure I could have done better in the role. The movie is so boring, but a strong performance out of the Nicolas character would have gone a long way toward improving it. That actor has only done small roles in Australia other than this. He is not an actor. It was painful watching him try. The other actors did a good job, I dunno what else to say but I need more characters in this post.

I know this is a serious subject matter but this was a very dull and depressing film. Hugh Jackman of course is a very talented actor and he draws you in every time we see him in a performance but this film was just so freaking slow and at one point I asked myself what on earth is this movie? Some movies someone somewhere needs to tell somebody doesn't need to be made. Not every book needs to be made into a film. Not every idea needs millions of dollars put into making it a reality. I feel all this movie does is encourage suicide if anything and I'm not trying to be funny by saying that. There are so many things that can be said about this family's dynamic that we could list that led this young man to being in the headspace he was in. What is supposed to be the take-a-way after watching this film? I wish I could get back the time I spent watching this. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone and this may be the lowest rating I have given to a film here on imdb.

Peter (Hugh Jackman) and Kate (Laura Dern) are divorced. Peter has moved on with Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and the have an infant son. Kate shows up at their door and complains she has issues with Nicolas that she can't deal with. She asks Peter to help. Nicholas is dealing with depression since the divorce and is in a dark place. He moves in with Peter and Beth and Beth is not too pleased. Things start to go better, but suddenly turns worse as our more than moody teen goes off the deep end. The star studded cast had excellent performances. The crew seemed to lack chemistry and the character introduction and build up was not good. The film became boring fast and didn't let up even during what could be the climax scene which was weak. Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.