Florian Zeller’s incredible drama The Father won Anthony Hopkins an Oscar, and traumatised all who saw it with its harrowing portrayal of dementia. While his new film, The Son, isn’t a direct sequel, its themes continue the story started three years ago.
Hugh Jackman stars as Peter, a man making a new life for himself with a younger wife (Vanessa Kirby) after their affair broke up his previous marriage. With a new baby to look after, Peter is stunned by his ex (Laura Dern) turning up with their son, Nicholas (Zen McGrath). With the teenager depressed and failing at school, Peter agrees to care for him. However, his own failed relationship with his father (Anthony Hopkins) threatens this reconciliation.
Comparisons with The Father are inevitable, and in that sense this story already starts off on the back foot. However, even taken on its own merits, it falls short of the Oscar-calibre brilliance it aspires to. Its portrayal of depression and suicidal ideation is surface-deep, with some scenes feeling like they were taken from a soap opera.
What saves it from disaster is Jackman. The Wolverine star has often struggled with prestige dramas, with performances in Les Miserables and The Front Runner never really generating buzz. However, he gives it his all as a man caught between worlds. The panic of not knowing what to do about a child in peril is clear in both his and Dern’s performances, as they balance their own failings with their good intentions. Hopkins pops up in an excellent sequence as Peter’s father, a character that answers a lot of questions about how we got here.
Tremendous performances are let down by The Son’s reluctance to go deeper. Mental Health is a complex and pertinent subject, and a braver approach combined with the capable cast might have made something very special.
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