The Son

2022 2h 3m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🥫

29%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 610🥫29%Rotten Tomatoes●45Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 20,173

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A successful lawyer, with a new wife and infant, agrees to care for his teenage son from a previous marriage after his ex-wife becomes concerned about the boy's wayward behavior.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Hugh Jackman
Peter
Zen McGrath
Nicholas
Vanessa Kirby
Beth
Laura Dern
Kate
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony
William Hope
Andrew
George Cobell
Nicholas (6 Years)
Felix Goddard
Theo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Florian Zeller
Writers: Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, France, United Kingdom

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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Australia, France, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Florian Zeller, shot by Ben Smithard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Hugh Jackman and Zen McGrath and Vanessa Kirby carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt14458442 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Florian Zeller directs. Ben Smithard behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Yorgos Lamprinos cuts. Produced in Australia, France, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 4 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: Australia, France, United Kingdom.
3Directed by Florian Zeller, shot by Ben Smithard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Yorgos Lamprinos shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Hugh Jackman and Zen McGrath and Vanessa Kirby carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt14458442 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "depression", "suicide", "mental illness", "mental health".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ben Smithard
Original score: Hans Zimmer
Editing: Yorgos Lamprinos
Production design: Simon Bowles
Costume design: Lisa Duncan
Makeup / hair: Evelyne Noraz
Sound: Niv Adiri
Stunt coordinator: Paul Kennington
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $3,564,844
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Son (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 29% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 45/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 20,173 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 11 nominations total

Also by

Florian Zeller

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2022-10-15
★ 8/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/the-son-spoiler-free-review-lff-2022 "The Son is an emotionally devastating film with a shocking yet important cautionary message for all parents. A gradually sadder, depressing, frustrating story that grips the audience through its tension-filled dialogue, but the lack of something new and impactful directly about those primarily affected by mental health issues could be an uncomfortable trigger for many viewers. Hugh Jackman stands out with one of the best performances of his career in a genuinely powerful, tear-inducing display. Florian Zeller's movie will get an understandably divisive reception, but I definitely consider it a must-watch flick." Rating: B+
CinemaSerf2023-02-24
★ 6/10
Despite more experienced and lauded stars, this film only really belongs to the young Australian Zen McGrath in the title role. He is "Nicholas", a young man who lives with his divorcee mother (Laura Dern) while his father (Hugh Jackman) has a new family with "Beth" (Vanessa Kirby) and baby "Theo". His mother reaches the end of her tether when it transpires that the young man has been skipping school. She feels genuinely intimidated by him and so a move to dad's is soon on the cards. Settling in ok? Going to a new school? Well that's when we begin to spot signs that this lad has problems. Signs of self harm ring alarm bells and indicate a spiralling descent for "Nicholas" that perhaps only his father can arrest? The story is interesting, but the writing is frankly terrible and the acting from both Jackman and the always limited Dern is truly wooden. For such an emotive subject there is no sense of involvement; no personal touches - he is never to referred to as "Nick" or anything that might illustrate that there any intimate love here. It's all just a bit sterile with join-the-dot scenarios that accumulate towards an ending that serves no purpose at all. That's not to say it had to be all rose covered cottages, but the last twenty minutes really defy even the most devoted of parental logic before a rather abrupt denouement. It might offer a beginners guide to warning signs for parents, but otherwise this is a weakly constructed and frankly, rather implausible, drama that really disappoints.