The Son of the Shark

1993 1h 30m FR

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 9

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Brothers Martin and Simon, not yet teens, are incorrigible vandals; Martin runs away from reform school, Simon from foster homes, and they always find each other in a seacoast town of Lignan, where their destructive behavior is infamous. (It may date to their mother's leaving the family.) Martin is philosophical, romantic, and poetic: he dreams of being the son of a shark; he holds tight to a book about goldfish his mother gave him. In both halting and wild ways, he tries to court Marie, a neighbor girl. Simon, with a pocketknife and an intractable will, seems more dangerous to others. What, on earth, is there for these children-becoming-men?

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ludovic Vandendaele
Martin
Eric da Silva
Simon
Sandrine Blancke
Marie
Maxime Leroux
Le père
Yolande Moreau
L'automobiliste
Rose Thiéry
Renan Mazéas
Jean-François Perrier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Agnès Merlet
Writers: Santiago Amigorena, Agnès Merlet
Languages: French
Countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Agnès Merlet, shot by Gérard Simon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pierre Choukroun shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ludovic Vandendaele and Eric da Silva and Sandrine Blancke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Agnès Merlet directs. Gérard Simon behind the camera. Bruno Coulais scores. Pierre Choukroun cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Belgium, Luxembourg. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
233 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 3 countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Agnès Merlet, shot by Gérard Simon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Pierre Choukroun shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ludovic Vandendaele and Eric da Silva and Sandrine Blancke carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0106904 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.