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The Son

Original title: Le fils
  • 2002
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
10K
YOUR RATING
The Son (2002)
Coming-of-AgeDramaMystery

A joinery instructor at a rehab center refuses to take a new teen as his apprentice, but then begins to follow the boy through the hallways and streets.A joinery instructor at a rehab center refuses to take a new teen as his apprentice, but then begins to follow the boy through the hallways and streets.A joinery instructor at a rehab center refuses to take a new teen as his apprentice, but then begins to follow the boy through the hallways and streets.

  • Directors
    • Jean-Pierre Dardenne
    • Luc Dardenne
  • Writers
    • Jean-Pierre Dardenne
    • Luc Dardenne
  • Stars
    • Olivier Gourmet
    • Morgan Marinne
    • Isabella Soupart
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Jean-Pierre Dardenne
      • Luc Dardenne
    • Writers
      • Jean-Pierre Dardenne
      • Luc Dardenne
    • Stars
      • Olivier Gourmet
      • Morgan Marinne
      • Isabella Soupart
    • 79User reviews
    • 79Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 11 wins & 12 nominations total

    Photos10

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    Top cast21

    Edit
    Olivier Gourmet
    Olivier Gourmet
    • Olivier
    Morgan Marinne
    • Francis
    Isabella Soupart
    • Magali
    Nassim Hassaïni
    • Omar
    Kevin Leroy
    • Raoul
    Félicien Pitsaer
    • Steve
    Rémy Renaud
    • Philippo
    • (as Remy Renaud)
    Annette Closset
    • La Directrice du Centre
    Fabian Marnette
    • Rino
    Pierre Nisse
    Pierre Nisse
    • Apprenti Soudeur 1
    Stephan Barbason
    • Apprenti Soudeur 2
    David Manna
    • Apprenti Soudeur 3
    Abdellah Amarjouf
    • Apprenti Soudeur 4
    Jimmy Deloof
    • Dany
    Anne Gerard
    • La Mère de Dany
    • (as Gérard Anne)
    Dimitri Legros
    • Le Client du Café
    Leon Michaux
    • L'Éducateur
    Colette Hobsig
    • La Cuisinière
    • Directors
      • Jean-Pierre Dardenne
      • Luc Dardenne
    • Writers
      • Jean-Pierre Dardenne
      • Luc Dardenne
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews79

    7.510.4K
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    Featured reviews

    Sinnerman

    A whole new way of looking at film....

    The acting in The Son was top notch.

    Very demanding nuances were expected from the actors, especially in a movie thats so stripped of a leading musical score and filmed at such a deliberately halted pace. Thus must say the two male leads has successfully delivered performances which torched my views on what constitutes "good acting".

    Overall, The Son piqued my interest enough to want to hunt down other Dardenne Bros pics. Being new to their works, the extremely voyueristic shots in this film revealed previously undetectable character depths, with such humanistic intuition, it was uncannily astonishing.

    Pity the dizzying cinematography made me all tipsy(my seat was very much infront). The film could arguably have done with some judicious trimming as well. But that may be due to my comparatively lower tolerance for such glacial paced works. But agree with you'all that the abrupt end achieved the right note of hopefulness. Its openness was a very nice touch indeed.

    To be fair, I think I would need more time to digest this film on tv. It is my belief that the wozzy nature of "handheld" flicks often play better in an intimate home setting than in a cinema, especially when viewed from unfavourable theatre vantage points like mine.

    An acquired taste though The Son has been, I acknowledge its a very prized find. It at least has succeeded pointing me in a whole new direction of film appreciation.
    7r-Kelleg

    Dardenne brothers' purest movie

    I saw "le fils" last Saturday during a sneak preview with the directors and actors. All I can say is that this movie moved me. One can say that the shoulder's cam make him/her sick (this was my case). One can say that this movie is boring and that nothing happens (that is also my case). One can say that half of the screen is wasted by the Olivier Gourmet's face close-up. But, at the end of the movie, you can feel the power of the movie. You are moved by this movie because Olivier and the Dardenne expressed the purest emotions.
    10drunk-drunker-drunkest

    Do you still want to be a carpenter?

    The directors of 'The Son', brothers Jeane-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, are together experienced documentarians. This is made explicitly clear in the film's style, which affords the camera the rare opportunity in modern cinema to see rather than show. The difference is immense. Renoir, Ozu and Rossellini understood the difference, and now the Dardennes can be added to that illustrious list.

    The Dardenne brothers are masters of exploding the minutiae of everyday life to beautiful, poetic proportions. Their films are largely concerned with observing people at work (see also Rosetta and La Promesse), obsessively detailing the intricate structures and routines of the mundane, the everyday. Hitchcock famously described film as life with the boring bits removed; a Dardenne film is life with the boring bits dissected, investigated and ultimately celebrated.

    The film is about all the sons - the sons that were, the sons that are and the sons that will be - and all should see it.
    mfeeney068

    A film that speaks of forgiveness without many words...

    This is a MUST SEE film for any working actor.

    As an actor, I often study films as I watch them, and I'm proud that as I was watching this movie I picked things out that were later mentioned in the commentaries as being done on purpose. For instance, one immediately notes the unique camera angles (at first it "followed" the main actor from behind, so you only saw his back... yet I was amazed at how much emotion and character was conveyed by his body language)... as the film progressed, I noted how few lines of dialog there were - and how utterly real the acting was. The hand-held camera led to a feeling of voyeurism, like we were actually there watching the watcher... the tension in the movie was palatable and kept me holding my breath... I was slightly disappointed in the very abrupt ending (it was so sudden I actually thought my DVD skipped a chapter)...

    In watching the directors & actor's commentary I learned that the film was written FOR this particular actor (what an honor!) because he had had worked with the directors before.... the actor said he believed the body is the actor's instrument and his dream was to someday do a stage show where his back was to the audience the entire time! They also discussed their unique rehearsal process and such - really interesting to hear.... and after seeing this movie, I have now developed my own philosophy of acting: A beginning actor is at Stage 1 where you worry about remembering your lines.... A better actor is in stage 2 and they focus on delivery and HOW their lines are said and the emotions that go with it.... but the best actor is at stage 3 where the real acting is done BETWEEN the spoken lines and without any dialog at all.... that's what I felt this movie really reinforced - the tremendous acting ability done by a glance and body language.... it is in French with subtitles, but it really was a "thinker" of a movie... not something I would recommend to everyone, but a "must see" for any actor.
    9WilliamCKH

    A movie about forgiveness

    The Son is a movie about forgiveness, and how the very act of forgiving propels you forward as a human being. And to not only forgive the person who took away your son, but to become a guardian, a teacher to that person is an act of grace. Olivier exhibits this grace throughout the movie, but it is a grace that is not evident by just watching him on a day to day basis. You have have to follow him, listen to him, be with him constantly and understand his circumstances to realize this. I suppose, in a way, that many people possess this grace, but its hard to find it in them if you can't follow them around with a camera. Olivier, on the surface, would not seem like a very interesting person if you saw him on the street, or worked with him on a daily basis, and the boy seems like a dolt, but this movie makes them so interesting, so compassionate, not as characters, but as real people. It teaches you to look beneath the surface of things, of human beings, and if you look hard enough, you'll find beauty everywhere.

    More like this

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    Related interests

    Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018)
    Coming-of-Age
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Partly inspired by the Jamie Bulger murder, a case that shocked England in 1993 when a 2-year-old toddler was murdered by two 10-year-old boys.
    • Quotes

      Olivier: The boy that you killed was my son.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Best Films of 2003 (2004)

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    FAQ16

    • How long is The Son?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 2002 (Belgium)
    • Countries of origin
      • Belgium
      • France
    • Official site
      • Diaphana (France)
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Oğul
    • Filming locations
      • Liège, Wallonia, Belgium
    • Production companies
      • Archipel 35
      • Les Films du Fleuve
      • Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $70,262
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,048
      • Jan 12, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,057,439
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 43m(103 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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