Tonight I popped over to Cineworld for the latest Unlimited Screening which was The Son, the new movie from Florian Zeller who previously brought us the superb The Father, a movie that was one of my top movies of 2021.
The Son is a cautionary tale that follows a family as it struggles to reunite after falling apart. THE SON centres on Peter (Hugh Jackman), whose hectic life with his infant and new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby) is upended when his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) appears at his door to discuss their son Nicholas (Zen McGrath), who is now a teenager. The young man has been missing school for months and is deeply troubled. Peter strives to take care of Nicholas as he would have wanted his own father (Anthony Hopkins) to have taken care of him while juggling his and Beth’s new son, and at work an offer of a dream position in Washington. However, by reaching for the past to correct its mistakes, he loses sight of how to hold onto Nicholas in the present.
Many of you will remember how much I praised Florian Zeller’s The Father back in 2021 and how the movie was such a powerful and emotional movie that really grabbed my attention and yanked at my heartstrings. So with that in mind I was very excited to see Zeller’s The Son, the great cast including Anthony Hopkins, really grabbed my attention to see the movie.
Again Zeller has brought us another emotional movie with the theme of mental health of The Son, I can’t fault the cast in the movie, they all put on some great performances with the material of the story, but the stand-out cast member has to be Zen McGrath who plays the title character. His performance throughout the movie has you feeling the pain that he is going through with the problems that he is having with his depression.
The 2h 3m runtime does drag several times as the family tries to sort out Nicholas’ problems and the problems that they have themselves after Peter left his wife for someone younger and has a child with her, which does seem to make Nicholas feel like his father abandoned him for another family.
Unlike The Father, this new movie from Florian Zeller really didn’t have the mystery that made The Father such a joy to watch, The Son is much darker and it really doesn’t take you on that journey of discovery that I was hoping it would. There are some surprises in the movie that did shock me, but overall I didn’t find myself being pulled into the story as much as I hope I would be.
The Son is certainly not a movie that you go to see to be entertained, it is a story of how mental health can not only affect those that are suffering from it, but also shows how other people may see those that are suffering and being confused with what is happening to them and how they will cause issues for others!
This is an emotional movie, but sadly it just isn’t on par with Zeller’s The Father, so don’t go in expecting anything as stunning as that movie. I was disappointed with The Son, but it does open up the conversation of how you could see the early signs of a family member with depression and help them get through it without dire consequences.
The Son is in selected cinemas from the 17th of February 2023.
Sadly not as powerful as The Father
Movie title: The Son (2022)
Movie description: Peter has his busy life with new partner Beth and their baby thrown into disarray when his ex-wife Kate turns up with their teenage son, Nicholas.
Date published: February 16, 2023
Country: UK
Duration: 2h 3m
Director(s): Florian Zeller
Actor(s): Zen McGrath, Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Kirkby
Genre: Drama
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
