TIFF 2022: The Son Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

While awards season in 2020 was far more barren and low-key than previous years due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it allowed for a number of smaller films from less established filmmakers to take the spotlight. One of the most beloved and exciting films of 2020 was Florian Zeller’s directorial debut The Father, which earned the acclaimed playwright-turned-filmmaker an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and won acting veteran Anthony Hopkins his second Oscar. The Father deeply resonated with both audiences and critics, as many were impressed with how Florian confidently utilized editing techniques to create an immersive exploration of dementia.

After realizing he had a bonified hit on his hand with The Father, Florian announced that he would be adapting the other two installments in his trilogy of stage plays, starting with The Son. The film sees Hugh Jackman star as Peter Miller, a successful businessman and father of a newborn who has settled into his new life with his partner Beth (Kirby). Meanwhile Nicholas (newcomer Zen McGrath), his teenage son from his previous marriage with his ex-wife Kate (Dern), is going through a difficult time and feels like he can no longer stay with his mother. Believing it as an opportunity to correct his past mistakes, Peter takes him in. However, the two find themselves at odds as Peter realizes that he doesn’t know how to connect with his son. At its core, the film is an exploration of teenage depression and the emotion strain that divorce can place on children.

The Son certainly boats several interesting ideas, but it does represent a sophomore slump for Zeller. While The Father was innovative in its execution and utilized elements unique to cinema to separate it from the stage play it was adapted from, The Son delivers far more by-the-numbers storytelling. It’s a melodramatic family drama aiming to evoke a strong emotional reaction from audiences that feels forced and inauthentic. It is merely a misguided representation of teenage depression that clearly doesn’t understand the complexities of the issues. Zeller is a strong writer and his talent shines through occasionally, but most of the dialogue is overwritten and he makes several storytelling decisions that feel misguided and eventually a betrayal of audiences. The film is also a disappointment from a technical standpoint. The cinematography is dull, the score is well composed but overbearing at times, and the editing and production design are not nearly as innovative or linked to the storytelling as in The Father.

What saves The Son from being a complete disaster is Jackman’s impressive performance. His complex portrayal of a father trying desperately to connect with his son that he doesn’t truly understand, elevates the material considerably. However, the actors around him are not nearly as strong in comparison. Dern and Kirby’s roles are extremely underwritten and are not given the opportunity to match Jackman’s passion. McGrath plays the titular son, which on paper is a meaty role but his obvious inexperience shows, resulting in an often awkward and uneven performance that contributes to the melodrama that eventually swallows the film whole.

Overall, The Son is a disappointing follow-up to one of the best films the 2020s has to offer thus far. Hopefully, Zeller can learn from his mistakes and deliver another innovative and strikingly sensitive film like The Father in the future, leaving The Son in the dust.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Tristan French