45
Metascore
46 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 82TheWrapSteve PondTheWrapSteve PondWhere “The Father” was subtle and twisty, this drama is more agitated and restless, even melodramatic at times – but that’s a directorial decision that certainly fits the dark and troubling subject that the film explores but doesn’t exploit.
- 80The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThe Son is a laceratingly painful drama, an incrementally increased agony without anaesthetic.
- 80CineVueJohn BleasdaleCineVueJohn BleasdaleThe Son, though perhaps not as original and accomplished as The Father, is nevertheless an affecting, empathetic and intelligent drama.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeI watching The Son play out, this family’s tragedy becomes our own, and Zeller’s warning becomes impossible to ignore.
- 67The PlaylistMarshall ShafferThe PlaylistMarshall ShafferThere’s enough humanity from the story and performers alike that cuts to the soul and mostly offsets the uninspired direction. But “The Son” should shine at least a little brighter through the dark material given these participants and their previous triumphs.
- 60Total FilmJane CrowtherTotal FilmJane CrowtherClassy but curiously empty, The Son may be a spiritual sequel to The Father, but it’s not its equal.
- 50IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichThe Son is too suffocated by the severity of its writing and the sterility of its environments for the film’s characters to grow beyond the scenarios they represent.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThis is Jackman’s movie. He makes Peter’s helplessness intensely moving as he keeps trying, against mounting odds and false breakthroughs, to communicate with a child who remains out of reach. Sadly, that goes for The Son, as much as the son.