Product Details

• Actors: Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart, Nassim Hassaïni, Kevin Leroy
• Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
• Format: Color, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: New Yorker Video
• VHS Release Date: May 25, 2004
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001JXP1G
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,735 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The brothers Dardenne craft lean, unfancy movies, full of ordinary people, with no special effects--but the emotional impact of their movies (which include the superb La Promesse and Rosetta) is devastating. In The Son, a carpentry teacher named Olivier (Olivier Gourmet) accepts a new student into his class after having first rejected him; it is soon revealed that this new boy, Francis, is responsible for the death of Olivier's son. But Olivier takes Francis under his wing--is Olivier planning on taking revenge? Is this a phenomenal act of compassion? Is he simply tormenting himself? The movie watches Olivier engage in his daily tasks without comment, yet every scene is almost unnervingly dense with emotion (it's no wonder that Gourmet won the Best Actor award at Cannes for this performance). The Son builds complex and potent feelings from utterly mundane moments. It's simply an astonishing feat of moviemaking. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Good "Son", June 21, 2005

By	Alex Udvary (chicago, il United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Son (DVD)

I warn you, please do not read any of the reviews about this movie until you have seen it. I will not describe the plot to you because I feel it is best to walk in cold. The movie is complex with emotions and a major plot twist that is better left unsaid.

The movie was directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and brother Luc Dardenne. It was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival for the top prize, the Golden Palm, and was awarded "Best Actor" to Olivier Gourmet who plays Olivier in the film. Also, Morgan Marinne, who plays the young boy, was nominated for a Cesar Award (the equivalent of the Oscar in France) for "Most Promising Actor".

"The Son" tackles some pretty big topics but handles them in a sincere way. We come to believe in these characters, especially Olivier, even though we are not quite sure where this film is headed. Olivier has two sides to him, on one hand he seems like a nice guy and on the other seems malicious. The big subject here is forgiveness. How far would we go to understand those who have caused you harm? But, I've said too much. I realize this is a very vague review, but after you've seen the movie you will thank me.

Here is a movie I recommend to all those who are interested in foreign films and are sick of the big budget brain dead Hollywood films being released this time of year.

I want to say one thing about the film's ending. After watching it some may feel it ends too abruptly. It does not. The movie ends at just the right moment. There is nothing else that could have been added. We know all we need to know about where these people are headed. Please do not complain about the conclusion.

Bottom-line: Subtle, powerful film that seems to sneak up on you. We are never quite sure where the film is going to take us but it manages to deal with its material in a convincing way.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent French film worthy of a wider audience, April 6, 2004

By	C R INGS "generalenquiries3" (Cardiff , Wales UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Son (DVD)

This is an excellent but sadly neglected French film.
The cast, Olivier Gourmet, as the Carpentry Teacher and Morgan Marinne, as his student, are routinely excellent.
As is the story and direction, by the Dardenne brothers who have come up with a strikingly original film.
The story, of Olivier, a Carpentry teacher who teaches teenage
offenders picks up when we learn that his latest student is responsible for the murder of Olivier's infant son in a robbery.
The convicted fellon, Francis, now being rehabilated with a trade, is a gentle, quiet boy, but all the same we view him threw Olivier's eyes, detached, ambivalent but with deep suspicion.
Does Olivier intend revenge or is he only seeking answers.
He becomes so close to the boy that Francis asks Olivier innocently, if he'll become his guardian.
The denouement of this movie, where the main two characters travel alone to a deserted timber yard, is wonderfully handled. It will keep you guessing right to the end.
A fantastic film, expertly produced, excellently acted.
The film is subtle but also absorbing. A real must see!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Intersection of Loathe and Love, August 12, 2004

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Son (DVD)

THE SON is a quiet film that ends up shouting its agony through silence. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne have filmed what at first appears to be just an ordinary working class man's life (Olivier, a carpenter with apprentices, played with subtle perfection by Olivier Gourmet), following it closely, slyly introducing Olivier's ex-wife (Isabella Soupart) with whom he no longer has contact save for a tragedy they share, and then darkens the picture with the presence of a 16 year old apprentice Francis (Morgan Marinne) who we instantly know has some mystery behind him. Olivier watches the boy's every move, discovers that the boy has just been released form prison where he was incarcerated since age 11 for theft and murder. Olivier realizes this is the boy responsible for his son's death five years ago and he takes Francis under his wing, his motivation remains unsure until the film's surprising end. This is verismo at its peak - just an emotionally charged story, simple, without accoutrements. There is no music soundtrack, only silence and very very little dialogue. But because of this starkness, the significance of the movie is all the more powerful. Perhaps this film is not for everyone: patience and a parcel of time are required to savour it. But THE SON is one of those films that stays in you gut long after the viewing.