My Son

James McAvoy was fantastic as always but I was left asking a few questions in the end. Aspects of the plot were only hinted at but not explored properly.

'My Son (2021)' is an experimental film in which a man returns to Scotland after receiving news that his son has gone missing. James McAvoy apparently improvises every scene he's in (which is most of them), forced to fumble his way around a plot which he doesn't know and actors who have the knowledge he is deprived of. Some scenes seem as though they must have been more controlled than others (for instance, when the protagonist decides to beat someone up or does a bit of self-led investigation) and others still must have been filmed more than once (McAvoy has recounted a time in which he decided to climb a tree and was told that this decision was "stupid" by the director). For the most part, McAvoy manages to make his way through the picture not only without cracking up, but also without delivering anything less than a cohesive and believable performance. He is mostly a passenger in his own story, which is somewhat frustrating but also encapsulates the feeling of being caught up in a devastating situation without the ability to truly affect it. He occasionally hesitates to take action, too (presumably for fear of ruining a take). Of course, the film is also peppered with generally awkward and clumsy moments that stem from its unusual approach to its material, but it's relatively easy to forgive these flaws when you keep in mind just how difficult it must be to ad-lib an entire movie. However, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if its experimental nature actually warrants any extra lenience. After all, the filmmakers decided that this was the best way to tell their story and, at times, their unorthodox method definitely impacts that story in a negative way. Having said that, most of the problems with the piece don't actually stem from its most obvious gimmick. Instead, they arise from the fact that the underlying narrative is paced pretty poorly, structured somewhat strangely and is generally rather generic overall. The first half is pretty much a straightforward drama, while the second steers the story into thriller territory. Both segments carry a strong sense of realism, but they seem at odds with one another when it comes to defining the flick's overall intention. The actual plot is barebones and stuffed with coincidences, far less involving than a thriller really ought to be. Furthermore, several plot elements are introduced and then almost immediately dropped, which exactly doesn't make for a particularly satisfying experience. The more you reflect on the piece, the more hollow it seems. Its actual ending is a real dud, too. Still, it's not as if the picture is entirely unsuccessful. As I mentioned earlier, McAvoy turns in really respectable work and pretty much carries the entire film on his shoulders, which is all the more impressive considering he has no idea what's actually going on most of the time. The finale is also really suspenseful, a grounded and engaging game of cat and mouse with solid stakes and a steady execution. The movie has a decently effective emotional underpinning and it features some surprisingly striking cinematography - primarily when it comes to composition and lighting - that somehow doesn't immediately signal that the camera operators don't actually always know where their star is going to end up. Ultimately, though, I can't imagine watching this without knowing its experimental gimmick. That foreknowledge makes the feature much more interesting than it actually is, prompting forgiveness of its flaws and admiration of its execution. It's impressive that the film turned out well at all considering how much could have gone wrong. When you think about it, though, it shouldn't be noteworthy that a movie is "good enough", no matter what gimmick it employs. After all, the filmmakers decided to make things harder on themselves, to use an unorthodox and difficult method presumably in the pursuit of good art. Why would you go through all that extra stress if the result wasn't going to be dramatically improved by it? With a bit more planning, this could've been something really special; as I mentioned before, the underlying story is more of an issue than its actual execution. If the flick wasn't largely improvised, I suspect it would've slipped straight onto 'Amazon Prime' without much fanfare (although, to be fair, it hasn't received much attention as it is). It's good enough for what it is, but it could've been much better. Still, it's worth watching if its USP is intriguing to you. 6/10.

It's a movie that may hold promise, but eventually falls.

The movie starts well, with a lot of intrigue and suspense, but then it becomes very absurd due to the conveniences of the story, very predictable and because the way things are resolved so absurdly and easily. There is a lack of character development as you can't empathize with them or the situations they go through, it seems that the characters don't learn anything after going through very difficult situations, the acting doesn't help much either as at a certain point they become exaggerated and very dramatic. There is also no good development of the antagonists, and the constant camera blurs ruin this movie more. The locations where it was filmed are very beautiful, it is understood that several scenes are very limited or fall short due to the low budget, the story is not very original, but I think that the important thing is its execution, something that this film does not fully achieve.

This movie builds a good mystery but it gets ruined as the plot progresses and when its twist appears, giving way to a not-so-exciting and predictable ending, turning this movie into something very generic and without much innovation.

My Son (2021) is a mystery thriller about a divorced father trying to deal with the situation of his son going missing. I love James McAvoy and Claire Foy, so seeing them starring in a movie together made me curious to check this out, and also apparently the fact that McAvoy wasn't given a script or dialogues and instead improvised throughout the movie.

Now, it's not a groundbreaking achievement in filmmaking or anything like that, or at least I didn't feel it. The way the movie is penned and directed, McAvoy's improvisation doesn't really stand out even if the performances from both the main actors were strong, especially McAvoy's but that's hardly a surprise since he's good-great in pretty much everything I've seen him in.

It's slowly paced but it's also short so it doesn't get boring and there are sections that are thrilling or tense as you do start to care for the main character but they are too few and far between. Since you're going through the story from the father's POV, when things get interesting, you're strapped up for the ride but the movie hardly touches on the plot points it sets up as the story unfolds and just sorta wraps it up, which leaves you wanting for more.

It sure does look pretty, fully utilizing the Scotland Highlands in its cinematography (I hope I can visit it one day). The soundtrack was also pleasing and fitted the mood/tone.

Overall, My Son is a small mystery thriller that didn't give me enough for me to say it's particularly good but at the same time, it had enough material in it for it to be a passable watch. Give it a shot if you're curious or are a fan of James McAvoy. And if I were to rate it, I'd give it a 6/10.

My Son is an improvised child abduction thriller. It is a remake of a French movie called Mon Garçon.

Edmond Murray (James McAvoy) frequently works abroad a consultant for an oil company. His ex wife Joan (Claire Foy) calls him back to Scotland when Ethan his 7 year old son is snatched from a campsite.

Edmond suspects Joan's new boyfriend to be behind the abduction as he behave strangely. In fact Edmond beats him up and the police arrest him.

The man in charge of the investigation Inspector Roy (Gary Lewis) cannot find a substantial lead and is soon taken off the case. Edmond though does find a trail through some mobile phone footage. One that leads to a child abduction ring.

The movie has the scuzzy feel of 8MM with elements of Taken as Edmond is out to get revenge with whatever he can lay his hands on. A blowtorch in one scene.

The main selling point of My Son is that McAvoy had to improvise his script. He was only given a basic outline of his character and the plot. Although I presume he took a sneaky peak at the French version.

It does give the movie an underwritten feeling. Like the story is not fully developed and it shows in the final product.