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- 2003
- New Yorker Films
- 1 h 43 m
- 2003
- New Yorker Films
- 1 h 43 m
Summary A divorced carpentry instructor at a vocational training center finds his life turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious student. [New Yorker Films]
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Written By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
- 2003
- New Yorker Films
- 1 h 43 m
- 2003
- New Yorker Films
- 1 h 43 m
The Son
8.7
Summary A divorced carpentry instructor at a vocational training center finds his life turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious student. [New Yorker Films]
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Written By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
86
94% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
86
94% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The Dardennes's masterful casting and austere style amplify this simple but powerful parable.
The ability to conceive a compact drama on this huge subject and to embody it as perfectly as they have done, added to what they have already accomplished, puts Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne among the premier film artists of our time.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 12 User Ratings
8.7
92% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
8% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 12 User Ratings
8.7
92% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
8% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
For all its quasi-documentary materialism, The Son is ultimately a Christian allegory of one man's inchoate desire to return good for evil. The movie requires a measure of faith, and like a job well done, it repays that trust.
Makes no attempt to entertain us. Much of this extraordinarily tactful movie, like "Rosetta," is shot in close-up, focusing on the back of Olivier's neck, as if inviting us to see the world as he does.
It's a movie imbued with a fierce intimacy -- a tone and style similar to cinema verite documentary -- but it's not a banal realism, even if the characters and settings in contemporary working-class Liege initially seem mundane.
The real star of The Son isn't lead actor Olivier Gourmet. It's the back of his neck, which the camera obsessively focuses on throughout this difficult but rewarding Belgian drama.
Sitting through the film is punishing work. The jittery closeups create a response that is more physical (I'm thinking nausea) than emotional, and there are no respites.
Production Company
Archipel 35,
Les Films du Fleuve,
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF)
Release Date Jan 10, 2003
Duration 1 h 43 m
Tagline One Of The Top Ten Films Of The Year!
Website
http://www.diaphana.fr/lefils/
Awards
Joseph Plateau Awards
• 3 Wins & 4 Nominations
Cannes Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
European Film Awards
• 3 Nominations
