LFF 2022 review: Zeller's 'son' is an important cautionary tale

One of the most common stereotypes associated with critics is the alleged emotional distance from the characters and events that take place on the big screen. A "heartless robot" is a description I've seen several journalists, but with the growth of the online film community, this dated misconception has lost its original value. The Father remains the last A+ I gave to a film precisely because it had a profound impact on me on a personal level, so expectations were high for The Son, writer/director Florian Zeller's "sequel" to The Father, which garnered quite a controversial industry reaction after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival (read Alex's review here). Fortunately, I fall on the (very) positive side.

As with his previous film, Zeller keeps the action of The Son almost entirely indoors. All of the scenes take place inside apartments, conference rooms, homes, or hospitals, and on the rare occasions when the film drifts outside, those moments last no more than a few seconds. This creative decision once again puts the filmmaker in a tough position to capture the audience's attention through the actors' performances above all else - their connection to the characters and their respective conversations. Some movies are able to "hide" their narrative problems with overwhelming visuals, but that kind of storytelling doesn't benefit that much from phenomenal technicalities if both pillars of any cinematic work have serious flaws.

I will directly address the most controversial subject of the film - related to the protagonist and the target audience. The Son depends heavily on the perspective from which the audience views the story. Anyone who decides to examine the unfolding of the narrative exclusively through the eyes of Nicholas (Zen McGrath), the son of divorced parents with serious mental health issues, may find it difficult to understand the purpose of the script or the message that Zeller wants. to transmit. . There is no doubt: The Son is a thought-provoking, sad, depressing and frustrating film with several trigger points that will inevitably leave many viewers feeling uneasy, if not inconsolable.< /p>

However, there is a big difference between what audiences would like the film to say and what the filmmaker always had in mind. I don't consider the comment "the movie is about this, but it should be about that" as a fair criticism, and The Son seems suffers greatly from this reasoning. Indeed, some films deceive or confuse viewers with their own plot, either by regularly changing the central theme or by not specifying who the protagonist is. Even so, many cases are similar to Zeller's last film. The Son continues to be a cautionary tale about and for the (absent) parents, focusing primarily on Peter (Hugh Jackman).

Zeller's film delivers a critical message about the impact parents' actions - or lack thereof - have on their children. The Son portrays in a harsh and extremely shocking way what the consequences can be of the lack of affection, attention, understanding and presence in the lives of their children, especially when they go through a difficult phase, whether it's something superficial like a really bad day at school or something heavier that involves deep emotional issues or physical/mental health issues. The lack of impartiality and rationality with which many parents deal with the problems of their children creates blind spots, where the former are unable to observe in the latter what, from an external point of view, seems obvious (especially for viewers of this film).

On the one hand, Peter is a father driven by professional ambition, and as such, his parenting presence leaves a lot to be desired. On the other hand, his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) doesn't seem to have the ability to connect with her son, even being genuinely afraid to live with him. In the midst of it all, Peter's new girlfriend and mother, Beth (Vanessa Kirby), tries to adjust to the constant changes in his life, but she's also the only one who can look up to Nicholas and realize something is wrong. do not go. She seems to be the only person with enough emotional detachment to analyze the situation fairly and recognize that special attention is needed. And that's where Zeller's compelling dialogue and interactions come in.

Jack...