Customer Reviews

The Perfect Son [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In western culture, we men are brought up to believe that expressing or internally dealing with our emotions is a sign of weakness. This is often reflected in commercial movies and TV series where men are shown to deal with emotions like grief, anger and hurt with violence and self destructive behaviour. So it is with a sign of relief that I came across a movie such as The Perfect Son that illustrates a heartwarming emotional journey between two men.

Ryan (Colm Feore) is a successful lawyer who has taken care of his father whilst younger brother Theo (David Cubitt) has excluded himself from his family and travelled down the road of drug abuse and self loathing. It is after the death of the Father where we see Ryan and Theo reunited.

Initially distant and hesitant of acknowledging emotional bonds between them, Theo soon discovers Ryan's secret homosexuality and AIDS infection. It is from this point we see the 2 characters slowly come together, rebond and deal with the emotions between each other and the outside world.

So we enter on a journey of both characters' self discovery and coming to terms with their weaknesses as well as strengths, and it is up to the audience to decide who is the 'perfect son', if indeed a perfect son exists at all.

Both leads bring so much raw emotion to their roles to create believable three dimensional characters.

This is not a movie where homosexuality or death is at the forefront of the story - instead they are used as vehicles to reunite the 2 brothers together and spark their emotional journey to reconnect.

The DVD itself is well presented considering The Perfect Son is a small budget Canadian Film. The transfer is the original widescreen print presented in very high quality where the wonderful use of light in the film can be seen in every detail. A 'behind the scenes' featurette featuring interviews with the main actors and production crew provides additional insights into the film. A trailer, as well as trailers for other WolfeVideo DVD releases, are included also. However the one extra that stands out is the audio commentary by writer/director Leonard Farlinger and actor Colm Feore. Leonard is always engaging to listen to - he delves deeply into the story, filmmaking process and 'behind the scenes' and you really feel as though you have learned something from him, even though the discussion can get quite technical at times. After a slow start, Colm becomes just as engaging and it's interesting to hear an actors point of view of the movie making process.

The Perfect Son touches on many taboo topics in society such as sexuality, death, euthanasia and abortion, however the main purpose of this movie is seeing 2 men dealing with their emotions is a way that is so very rarely seen in cinema.

Highly recommended.

THE PERFECT SON is one of those low budget Canadian films that seem to appear in the Video Store without ever having been noticed during the theater run. Sad fact - that the movie-going audience didn't take notice of this superb little film, but then perhaps its intimate qualities are better served on the home TV screen. "In my beginning is my end", a quote from TS Eliot, describes the beauty of the quality of this movie. This is a story about two brothers, coming together for the funeral of their father, their lives having been separated by secretive lifestyles: Theo (the younger) is a writer who spends his life more on the inside of drug rehab centers than in the real world and appears to be NOT the perfect son of the title; Ryan, who is a glossy lawyer, in charge of all the funereal details, appears to be the perfect son until we 'accidentaly' discover that his life style has contributed to a secret 10 years of IV infusions for AIDS. It is this disparity of lives that underlies the distance between the brothers until their mutual need for each other's care crumbles the walls a lifetime created. So which one (if eithr) is 'The Perfect Son'?

In some hands this story could be a banal soap opera. Fortunately the writer and director and the two male leads bring power, credibilty, conviction, and a total lack of stereotype behaviour to these roles. Colm Feore and David Cubitt ( with a stunning role of Theo's girlfriend defoned by Chandra West) are both extraordinarily fine actors, making us not only believe in them separately and identify with their individual plights, but they have that rare ability to interact as brothers resolving the all too familiar familial estrangement in such a gently humorous and yet ultimately genuinely tender way. Quibbles Departmant: the editing of this film creates a choppy effect, dangling tiny moments of pure scenery or fragments of 2 lines of dialogue surrounded by slow fade in/fade out technique. But perhaps that is part of the mystery of the simplicity of this movie: life is a series of fleeting moments that can often appear as elusive as moths and breezes and perhaps that is what the director is pointing out in this wisely understated film. Highly recommended.

"The Perfect Son" is the story of two thirty-something brothers, estranged for some time, who are reunited when the second of their parents passes away. The characters somewhat remind me of the two brothers in "Six Feet Under," in that one is (not openly) gay (and is generally perceived as the "good son," devoted to the family, former caretaker of the father during his final illness, and earning a good living) and one is straight (but has the perception of being irresponsible, even has a substance abuse problem, not good with relationships, and is an unpublished author who can't get his act together). In talks over their father's estate, Theo (the gay son) learns not just about his brother Ryan's sexuality, but the fact that he is in the final stages of AIDS. Theo becomes one of Ryan's caregivers, and, as they draw closer together, the relationship helps him to better deal with other issues in his life, including a relationship with a woman doctor.

Though I wasn't expecting much from an indie Canadian film (which won their "Genie" award in 2001), I thought the production values and acting were quite good, and the story had positive notes among the sadness of dealing with death and illness.

Parts of this film are emotionally brutal, and I must confess that I felt as though the filmakers were deliberately and relentlessly hitting "controversy"/"sensationalism" buttons. In 93 minutes we deal with drug abuse, euthanasia, abortion, closeted homosexuality, AIDS, gay-bashing, sex-clubs, musings about one's own mortality, and coping with the death of family members. Be forewarned: this is not stuff for a light evening.

Having said all this, I appreciate that that the film was made. The acting is convincing and one does gain a sense of redemption watching the estranged brothers regain a a shared sense of filial love. Neither of the brothers is 100% likeable; indeed, both could easily be hated. But in truth all people have weaknesses, and a strength of the film is that a viewer comes to care about these two often unpleasant people. The younger brother's behavior in the last few minutes, while dramatic, loving, and selfless, does strain credibility; I suspect that most people in the depicted situation would would experience some discomfort or squeamishness.

IT IT SLOW,THE STORY COULD BE BETTER, BUT THE WAY ITS DONE IT MAKE THE WHOLE MOVIE TOO PREDICTABLE CAUSE YOU CAN GO AHEAD OF THE PLOT, KIND OF KNOWING THE NEXT STEP.... TOO ORDINARY, MAYBE OK FOR T.V. DRAMA

"The Perfect Son," though not quite perfect, is well-worth a watch, and is most impressive for a low-budget first-director debut. The acting is brilliant, the cinematography breath-taking, and the storyline touching and genuine to the hardships and family dynamics that everyone, gay or straight, experiences in some form.

Two brothers have chosen very different paths in life. One, Theo, is a bit of a rebel with a history of drug and alcohol abuse. The other, Ryan, holds the metal for the "perfect son." He's a lawyer, he's been taking care of the sick father, and is an overall upstanding member of the family. Well, except for a few minor details: he's gay and is infected with AIDS, both of which are big secrets. When their father dies, the brothers reunite, and are forced to deal with not only the death and their family dynamics, but their problems with themselves, with each other, and as part of their greater surroundings.

The performances by Colm Feore and David Cubitt, and their execution of the developing bond, shine ferociously and compensate for the occassional faulty editing. The plot is written with compassion and deals with several real-life issues, including homophobia, AIDS, death, abortion, and relationships, both familial and not. New director Leonard Farlinger is someone to keep an eye out for. "Perfect Son" is definitely worth seeing.

Thsi movie tries to play off the relationship of the brothers and it does a fine job but sometimes it feels forced and a bit familiar. Even though I liked the brothers, I feel that the straight one (can't remember his name) makes too huge of a transition over the course of this film. I suppose it could happen....

This film seems to borrow parts from other movies. There is the "Memento" style beginning and end (which I though was masterfully done), The "Rites of Passage" brother thing, and a scene or two borrowed from "Philadelphia".

Well acted, technically sound, and entertaining. This film could be a good addition to one's home video collection but there isn't much in it that is original.

The Perfect Son is a film by that venerable studio Wolf Studios (home of the less than mediocre films about gay life). I didn't realize this when I rented the film. In watching The Perfect Son I was surprised to find a film that was cogent and cohesive for the most part. Beyond that, it is surprisingly well acted. Colm Feore is a capable actor. However (and that's a big however) - the film is greatly flawed by a poor editing job (I'm giving the screenwriter some credit on this one and blaming the editor - it could be the reverse though). The opening scenes of the film are unnecessarily drawn out, showing expositional material and "background" information that could have been portrayed much tighter than is shown. This is extent throughout. And then the flipside is also the case: scenes which could use a bit more clarity for the purpose of background information, don't have any to show at all. Though I am bored with films that unnecessarily show "flashbacks", The Perfect Son desperately needs them.

This is a film about two brothers who haven't seen each other in years and unite after the death of their father. One is the golden child and the other is the abandoned and all but disowned child. Harkening not just slightly to the Biblical story of the prodigal son, The Perfect Son doesn't let us see the childhood events that brought about this uneven treatment by the father, nor the childhood relationship of the brothers. We are only able to hear about it in two very slight references that aren't really enough.

The Perfect Son feels more like a 1970's disease of the week film that the television networks were dashing together right and left at the time.

The disease in this film is AIDS. And to give the devil his due, this treatment of AIDS is far more watchable and tolerable than many other films of late have given it. It doesn't really focus on the AIDS, but attempts to focus on the painful relationship between two opposites - the brothers.

So, in short, The Perfect Son is far from perfect, but it is very watchable. Yes, it's a disease of the week film, but it's done so much better than many bigger films of recent.

I'm starting to write this review during a break as I watch the movie. It's the first time I've tried doing that, but I'm having trouble getting through this one without occasional breaks. That's not because it's intense but because it's bad.

It's almost painfully tedious and unbelievable, especially when the preternaturally robust dying brother Ryan (Colm Feore) is on screen being tragic and bitchy, self-indulgent and self-pitying. This would have been a much better movie if they'd just left that character out of the story.

He adds nothing but mawkish, maudlin, very irritating melodrama. Maybe somebody decided that if they couldn't make Ryan believable they'd just make him obnoxious. The problem with that is: Who cares if a spoiled, whining, obnoxious jerk is dying? Not me.

The ONLY thing this character has going for him is the fact that he's dying, and sorry, but that's just not enough. Dying doesn't make anybody special. We're ALL dying, sooner or later. It doesn't give anybody the right to expect sympathy while acting like a jerk.

The other two characters, and the actors playing them (David Cubitt as Theo and Chandra West as Sarah), are very much more interesting, and their story, without Ryan's self-pitying interruptions, could have made a much better movie. But it's not over yet, and it's time to hit PLAY again. Maybe something great happens before the end....

Nope. Sorry. This rented turkey goes back tonight!

I recently took notice of David Cubitt's acting in Medium on NBC and ordered this movie to see more of him. It is such a beautiful film! Even though it was produced on a small budget, the big blockbuster Hollywood studios should take notice - story and acting are the most important parts of a movie, not special effects and high priced actors who merely memorize lines.

Both of the actors were recognized for their efforts with a nomination for Canada's Genie Awards. Well deserved I can assure you. The movie begins with Theo and Ryan meeting to pay their last respects to their father who just died after a long illness. Theo has just gotten out of rehab - apparently a place he's been frequently throughout his life. Ryan, in his lawyer suit, has taken care of everything for his Dad, makes a remark to Theo about him being on time - he's impressed. Ryan is horrified as Theo tries to open the closed casket, "because he wants to make sure he's in there." Theo remarks to Ryan, "I bet he doesn't burn."

From there, you realize their Dad was a difficult man, who to Theo loved Ryan, but blamed Theo for his mother's death. Much later in the movie we find out that the mother died giving birth to Theo, and as a result, the father never got over her death and made Theo feel as if he was to blame. Ryan finally tells Theo their mother wasn't supposed to have any more children after him, but she wanted Theo desperately, which ultimately led to her death. Their Mom was the great love of their Dad's life, and he never got over her dying - finally, information that would have changed the course of Theo's life is revealed to him.

Theo is shocked to learn his big brother is gay, a fact he has concealed from their father and him until now. Not only that, his brother is HIV positive and now dying. Ryan reaches out to Theo and tells him he needs him - something even Theo is not sure he can pull off. Theo risies to the occasion of helping coordinate his brother's care as he loses his battle, even being one of his caretakers as he tries to handle the responsibilities of a new job and his girlfriend before his last rehab stint, who we learn has become pregnant with Theo's baby since he returned from rehab. Another complication for Theo who is on shaky ground trying to re-enter the world once again.

During this time, Ryan confesses to Theo one night that he has spent so much of his life hating himself - a common thread at last! Theo confesses he has done the same. Shortly before his death, Ryan tells Theo he is the "unhappiest healthy person I know - promise me you'll be happy". Even though the movie ends with Ryan's death, it is not really depressing, because we have watched these two disparate souls come together, rediscover their love for one another, care for each other, and understand their lives finally. Theo seems to ultimately be on his way to being the man he was destined to become.

Each actor gives a fine nuanced performance, and contrary to some other reveiws, I didn't find it "predictible" or "cliched" in any way. Less is more in the dialogue department when you have actors of this caliber. Merely with their facial expressions and eyes they speak to us all the things that are left unsaid.

The movie also has a beautiful score and perfectly selected background music to accompany these two brothers on their journey. This is one of those lovely movies I can watch over and over and never grow tired of it. I highly recommend this movie to anyone! Buy it today, you won't be disappointed.