El hijo de Jean

Plain not surprised story, is the implicit calm, is a gentle person but not indifferent

This movie made me really angry. As I watched these pitiful actors, except for Gabriel Arcand and the two brothers, I almost break my teeth. The French is reacting like a tourist, but in the worst manner a tourist can be, he is always watching and learning, the dialogues are extremely boring and useless. This movie is one of the most less good movie I have ever seen. The actors from Quebec are talking like they would talk to a alien from another planet when they talk to the extremely useless and boring French guy, It's like they don't come from Quebec when you hear them talk, they looks like they are ashamed of the accent. The last 10 minutes are nice. But again, the French buy a toy for his son at the airport ! What a mess... 90% of the movie is worthless.

A Kid tells the story of Mathieu, a Frenchmen who grew up in Paris, the son of a single mother. One day he receives a phone call that the father he never knew has died in Montreal, and that the funeral will be in a couple days. He decides to travel to Montreal to discover the brothers he just learned he had.

Upon his arrival in Montreal, Mathieu is picked up by Pierre, a friend of the deceased, Jean. He asks why he wants to do all this, to impose on a family that just lost their father and husband. In the end Mathieu decides to be quiet on who he is when he meets the brothers.

The acting by the main actors does a good job of bringing you into the thinking of these characters. How one would react in such a situation is hard to say, but the interactions here are believable. All twists and turns in the plot also seem logical and help bring the viewer further and deeper into Mathieu's world and his discovery of his family on the other side of the Atlantic.

There is some great acting in this movie after a novel by Jean-Paul Dubois.Especially by Gabriel Arcand, who plays Jean's old friend. But it took me a while to get over the initial irritation about all the phone scenes in the first 15 minutes. Everybody is constantly making phone calls. The movie even starts with a conversation over the phone. That's pretty poor cinema, and a false start for a movie that eventually unfolds it's true story. Then things heat up and get interesting. Don't go to this movie for the camera work though. You will be disappointed. It's shot in a nondescript documentary style, almost like a TV-series. Go to Le Fils de Jean for the acting and the secret that this movie has. I also like how all the characters were put down in the story. It all feels very 'naturel', like people you could know and hang out with yourself.

I admit having a strong appetite for the filmography of the French director Philippe Lioret. His films rhyme with simplicity, altruism, empathy, benevolence and sensitivity. Nowadays, this kind of observation is unfortunately rare. Moreover, Philippe Lioret has become a label of quality.

Following a call, a young Parisian dad learns of the death of his Quebec father when he did not know him, absolutely not, his mother having always hidden his identity. This trip on the other side of the Atlantic will be the opportunity to discover a step-family he did not know. And to know a little bit about himself.

My favorite scenes: Mathieu and Bettina together near the painting (there is a before and an after). Mathieu, his brothers and Pierre around the lake (a disappointment up to the expectations). The near-final scene in the car (it's particularly moving: it's not my style, but I almost had tears in my eyes)

As a synthesis, the movie is excellent. The casting, the dialogues and the directing are delightful.