The Son (Le Fils) (2003)
89%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Son, a film by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, is a masterful exploration of humanity’s capacity for redemption and forgiveness. The Dardennes’ use of handheld cameras, perched at intimate angles, creates a sense of closeness and immediacy that draws the viewer into the story. Olivier Gourmet’s performance as the instructor is both physical and cerebral, adding depth and complexity to the character. While the film may not appeal to fans of blockbuster movies, its raw, bare-bones aesthetic captures the difficult morality of everyday life. The Son is a simple yet deep film that rewards those who patiently think it through and discuss it, and proves that the Dardennes are masters of their craft.
The Son is like a slow-cooked meal that you savor every bite of. The Dardennes’ unique camera work makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters, experiencing their every move. And while there may not be a lot of dialogue or action, the story is deep and thought-provoking. It’s not your typical blockbuster, but it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something more substantial. Plus, who doesn’t love a good parable about humanity, fallenness, and grace?
Production Company(ies)
Wildwood Enterprises
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:16:9 HD
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Runtime:1h 43m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 10, 2003 Wide
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart, directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, written by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Joshua Rothkopf, Phillip Lopate, Steven D Greydanus, Stephen Cole, Geof Pevere, Kathy Cano-Murillo, Robert Davis, Ken Hanke, Emanuel Levy, Jeffrey Overstreet, Mark Robison, produced by Denis Freyd, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, MPAA rating, carpentry, rehabilitation, obsession, decision, French (Canada), New Yorker Films, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo, Flat (1.66:1), Olivier Gourmet as Olivier, Morgan Marinne as Francis, Jean-Pierre Dardenne as Director, Luc Dardenne as Director, Jean-Pierre Dardenne as Screenwriter
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Morgan Marinne – Francis
Isabella Soupart – Magali
Jean-Pierre Dardenne – Director
Luc Dardenne – Director
Jean-Pierre Dardenne – Screenwriter
Director(s)
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Writer(s)
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Producer(s)
Denis Freyd, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (59) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (7)
The Dardennes build drama slowly and deliberately, often perching their handheld cameras right at their subjects’ earlobes or on the backs of their necks. It’s an odd choice, but one that works improbably well in achieving intimacy.
March 16, 2020
Joshua Rothkopf
In These Times
TOP CRITIC
The instructor is played by Olivier Gourmet in an extraordinarily physical (and cerebral) performance.
April 11, 2018
Phillip Lopate
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Actions, not words or feelings, are at the center of The Son, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s challenging, nearly religious parable of humanity, fallenness, and grace.
May 31, 2004 | Rating: A+
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
Fails to provide enough tension to draw us into what, at first, seems a properly chilling crime drama.
April 23, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4
Stephen Cole
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
If you have to pick between movies about the spiritual passion of tortured carpenters, make this the one.
April 2, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
A substantial story about how one man handles his personal turmoil.
September 25, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Kathy Cano-Murillo
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
It’s a clear-eyed style of filmmaking reminiscent of The Decalogue or The Bicycle Thief, movies that adopt a raw, bare-bones aesthetic to capture the difficult morality of everyday life.
June 3, 2008 | Rating: 4.5/5
Robert Davis
Paste Magazine
There’s no music, not much dialogue (and what there is is mundane), a deliberately bland video look, and not much happens.
May 24, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
August 3, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
The Son will dazzle you if you patiently think it through and discuss it. The effort you put into it will determine how much it rewards you in the end.
February 1, 2005 | Rating: A+
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
Simple yet deep. Not for blockbuster fans but amazing in its own way.
May 27, 2004 | Rating: A
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal
The Son proves that [the Dardennes] can take on the concepts of the human desire for revenge and the capacity for forgiveness without becoming precious or overbearing.
May 21, 2004
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You…
Plot
The Son, from writers/producers Philipp Meyer, Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy and producer Michael Connolly, is a multi-generational epic telling of the story of America’s birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one Texas oil empire.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Olivier Gourmet delivers an “extraordinarily physical (and cerebral) performance” as the carpentry instructor in The Son, according to Film Comment Magazine.
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