Le fils du requin (The Son of the Shark)

This film really did stun me the first time I saw it. It actually was in a cinema in les Halles(Paris). It might actually have been a preview.

This film does capture pure moments of truth about the more or less universal theme of the youth rebellion. It does truly highlight the scare of adults in front of desperate kids that, deep down, are only asking for love.

It does take an extreme form to convey the complete un-understanding (misunderstanding) that there can be between adult/society and abandoned kids.

The "extreme" form of the movie does not mean it has no value. But on the contrary the metaphor of the film is event more powerful because of that "violence".

I have actually known one kids that had some similarities with the kids in the film. Their high rebellion does not mean they are not "human" but allows the desperation and the feeling (paint and power to be young) to be expressed, visible and apprehensible.

That film is also quite fresh and I find that quite a few of the tricks the two kids play on adult and society are fun and creative. One of the kid in the film does have quite a lot of sense and strong feelings.

There is a strong bond between the two brothers and they often have quite caring attitudes with another and a few other.

No moral in this film? May be! In the end I can't remember the whole story since I saw that film ages ago. But I felt reassured by the humanity of this two kids and appalled by some of the grow-ups attitudes.

IN the film, they start to be in love with a shark mother. Well it shows how extreme things can get in some situation. They also seem to be fascinated by the relaxing and hypnotizing calmness of the sea world. Quite sweet indeed.

I would really like to see that movie again. My mind needs to be refreshed with this juvenile daringness.

I do love that film! It has definitely given me something good and thanks a lot to the authors.

Great film!.....or should I say crazy film! This is a good film, that has a lot of meaning. It has the shock value of 'Man Bites Dog' and is definitely worth seeing. Certain scenes reminded me of 'Romper Stomper' the younger years. I give this film ***1/2 (out of four

'Le Fils Du Requin' "Son of a Shark" is a brilliant film from director Agnes Merlet and screenwriter Santiago Amigorena. It tells the story of two brothers Martin and Simon Vander Hoes who are juvenile delinquents in their home town. They dropped out of school when mom left the family and they deal with the whiles of their drunken father yet they have a bond with their younger brother Luke. Martin and Simon always remain one step ahead of the law as they're always being tracked down and when they're separated from each other they have a knack for finding each other. Martin had an interest in an older girl Marie and he's desperate to have her come down to the beach with him where they'll make love once, just once and then they'll die. Martin's most quoted line; "I am the son of a man and a woman. But if I had been born the son of a female shark then, maybe I wouldn't be so mean". Sadly this film is only available on video and I have seen in in the cinema and own it on VHS. I've seen it at least 10 times but it has had the power to stay with me all these years.

"Son of the Shark" is about two young brothers who spend their waking hours trying to get into as much trouble as they can. The older brother has some strange obsession (and I do mean obsession) with the idea of being the son of a female shark. He talks to himself about it over and over again throughout the film. That must be where the ingenious title is derived from! The whole shark angle seemed ill-conceived and never came close to approaching the type of seductive, mystical quality that can be found in "The Big Blue". In that film, Jacques' fascination with the ocean and dolphins was woven into the fabric of the story and played a pivotal role. Here it just seems like a gimmick.

Another insurmountable problem this film faces is that the boys are not shown to be anyone we would be likely to have any sympathy for. It is not until the final minutes of the film that they are shown to be anything more than emotionless vandals and thieves. The kids seem to take great joy in causing the suffering of others and it's inadvisable to try and play the sympathy card so late in a movie. Perhaps Agnes Merlet should've turned to "The 400 Blows" for some help with that aspect. Antoine Doinel was certainly a troubled kid but the viewer could tell that he was more hurt and confused rather than irredeemably evil.

There were a couple of scenes in "Son of the Shark" that were obviously supposed to shock and/or disgust the viewer. Since they aren't in a proper context, however, these scenes lose whatever significance they were supposed to have. I reached the conclusion of this film without being either entertained or enlightened in any manner. For a film that appears to be saying something, it left me feeling nothing. 2/10