The Son

This emotionally harrowing Belgian film focuses on Olivier (Olivier Gourmet), a carpentry instructor at a vocational training center for troubled teenagers, whose life appears to be dull and ordinary until the arrival of Francis, a sullen blonde 16-year-old. Expressing an uncommon interest in Francis, much to the concern of Olivier's ex-wife since she immediately recognizes Francis as the boy who killed their only son in a robbery five years earlier, Olivier takes the youth (who is unaware of Olivier's identity) on as his apprentice. In fact, it soon seems as if Francis is being groomed as a replacement for Olivier's slain child…or does Olivier have another agenda? A highly disturbing and deeply compelling psychological drama that slowly builds to a remarkable conclusion, filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's (La Promesse, Rosetta) The Son works its cinematic magic at a barebones minimalist level, with very little dialogue, no music score, and handheld cameras that zero in on tight close-ups and the backs of the actors' heads and necks (Gourmet won the Best Actor award at Cannes, no mean feat considering that a large portion of his performance is filmed from behind). Not an easy film to embrace, but a wonderfully original and powerful drama nonetheless, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD extras include a pair of subtitled interviews by Louis Danvers with filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (7-part, 32 min.) and with costar Olivier Gourmet (10-part, 33 min.), cast and crew text segments, a stills gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a small but powerful film.] (P. Hall)