The Son

Friday, March 17 - Thursday, March 23, 2023

US Premiere of New 4K Restoration!

“This potent Belgian feature (2002) by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is every bit as good as their La promesse and Rosetta. Unlike them it can’t be described in detail without telegraphing the plot’s carefully structured exposition, but it involves a carpenter and teacher at a vocational workshop (Olivier Gourmet) who takes on a 16-year-old boy as an apprentice, with cataclysmic consequences. Gourmet, who played the hero’s father in La promesse and the heroine’s employer in Rosetta, gives a strong and nuanced performance that deservedly won him the best actor prize at Cannes. The Dardennes’ extremely physical and visceral camera style plunges the viewer into an emotional maelstrom, and their subtle, unpredictable sense of character is predicated not on coercion of the audience but on an extraordinary respect for the viewer as well as the characters. To my knowledge there’s no one else making films with such a sharp sense of contemporary working-class life—but for the Dardennes it’s only the starting point of a spiritual and profoundly ethical odyssey.” – Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Screening as part of “Brotherhood: The Films of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne“

See more and save! Get a 3-ticket pack, good for any shows in the March 17-23 retrospective, for only $42– $30 for IFC Center members!

  • Country Belgium
  • Language French with English Subtitles
  • Year 2002
  • Running Time 104 minutes
  • Distributor Janus
  • Director Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
  • Cast Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart, Nassim Hassaïni

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.