YNOT at the Movies

The acclaimed French playwright Florian Zeller wrote a stage-play trilogy about family afflictions. The first is "The Mother" about a middle-aged woman's depression; then "The Father" tells the story about an elderly man's dementia and its film adaptation won him an Oscar; the third play turns the focus to a family's 17-year-old boy's mental health and its film adaptation "The Son" (UK/France 2022 | 123 min.) premiered at this year's Venice Film Festival. All of them deal with hardships and tragedies that have a profound impact on the dynamic relationships in a family, often with devastating consequences.

In this film adaptation of the latest installment of the trilogy, "The Son," its location is moved to New York City. The successful lawyer Peter (Hugh Jackman) has a newborn with his new wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) in a comfortable New York apartment. That hectic but happy upper-middle class life is disrupted when his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) knocks on the door and asks for Peter's help because their 17-year-old son Nicholas (Zen McGrath) has been skipping school for months and is hostile toward Kate.

Reluctantly, Peter takes Nicholas into their New York apartment hoping to mend the negligence Nicholas accuses him of, and to help Nicholas ease the emotional pain. Even though Nicholas, as well as others around him, doesn't understand why he is sad and suffering, his resentment toward Peter for leaving Kate and him is certainly apprehensible.

Peter feels Nicholas's resentment is similar to the one he has toward his own politician father (Anthony Hopkins). He is determined to be a better father to Nicholas at all cost. However, his love to Nicholas alone might not be enough to savage their relationship and help Nicholas.

Indeed, the director Florian Zeller is dealing with a sensitive and difficult subject matter—mental health, and there is so much about it that we don't understand or for which we have a solution. Despite all the research in this field, mental health remains a mystery. He delicately illuminates that devastating situation with the characters around Nicolas, including Nicolas himself. Everyone is trying to find a way to help, but most of the time, they don't know how or even take the wrong steps with good intentions. The director Florian Zeller terrifically transfers that frustration and helplessness to the viewers.

The struggle and suffering of these characters are often painful to watch. Hugh Jackman is terrific playing a guilt bearing father who is determined to be a better father yet often fails; and Peter's failed marriage with Nicholas's mother Kate might have contributed to Nicolas's trouble whether he agrees or not. This film only offers a glimpse into an unfortunate reality that we all fail to comprehend.

"The Son" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, January 20, 2023.