When
a child is missing and presumed kidnapped, any parent can turn into Liam Neeson
in Taken, even a French journalist.
Frankly, it is not such a dramatic transformation in the case of Julien Perrin.
He has a rather murky backstory and a hair-trigger temper. Perrin will do
whatever it takes to find his seven-year-old boy Mathys, regardless of
consequences, throughout Christian Carion’s lean French thriller My Son, which opens tomorrow in New York.
As
usual, Perrin was on assignment when Mathys disappeared, but he made haste to
the mountainous village when his ex-wife Marie Blanchard called. He tries to be
supportive, but things are weird between them. Perrin probably still has some
residual affection for her, but her new partner, Gregoire Rochas is a different
story entirely. The concerned father takes an instant disliking to Rochas and
soon starts to suspect he could be complicit in Mathys’ disappearance (based
mainly on instinct rather than evidence).
Although
everyone wants Perrin to settle down, he continues to pursue his maverick
investigation, like a bull in a china shop. There will indeed be some big third
act twists and revelation, but My Son is
more about the hunt than unmasking the villains. Regardless, Carion and
co-screenwriter Laure Irrmann spring a decidedly sinister conclusion to the
film.
Guillaume
Canet really seethes and fumes as Perrin. It is a viscerally powerful performance
that so dominates the film, it feels like a solo show (like Tom Hardy in Locke), even though there are other
actors present. Arguably, Canet’s work also vindicates the method school of
acting, due to Carion’s unusual strategy. Instead of supply notes and
backstory, Carion withheld all information from Canet, including the script,
allowing him to experience each twist and turn in real time.
Melanie
Laurent does a nice enough job as Blanchard, but she just cannot compare to
Canet. On the other hand, Olivier de Benoist is all kinds of creepy and
distasteful as the suspicious Rochas. We really cannot blame Perrin if he leaps
to conclusions.
This
is a wiry, stripped down film that nicely maintains the brooding French thriller
tradition. Carion’s unconventional method of directing Canet has been a good
publicity hook for the film, but it never comes across as gimmicky to viewers.
Highly recommended for fans of French cinema and edgy thrillers, My Son opens tomorrow (5/10) in New York,
at the Quad Cinema.
