2003, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are masters of authenticity, and their film The Son is no exception. A character study about a carpentry instructor at a rehab center who becomes obsessed with a teen student, this is an engrossing tale of human interaction. The brothers, as always it seems, approach their characters with a level of intimacy and intuitiveness that is mesmerizing in it’s fullness. They don’t feel the need to add dramatic scores or technical flare to their films, but rather they take a camera and just follow these people around, in this case the instructor Olivier, portrayed by Olivier Gourmet.

It’s hard to find words for how impressively honest their approach is, but I think that the authenticity these men are able to achieve is truly unparalleled in modern cinema. Many times they simply place the camera over Olivier’s shoulder, following him around and placing us in his perspective, creating a sensation both absorbing and remarkably genuine. There’s no strict narrative, but rather it’s a study of this man and his personal demons, a study through human interaction and understanding that is emotional, quietly intense and always true.

The reveal at the end of the first act paints a new light on Olivier that made him much more of a tragic figure than I had initially perceived him as, and the journey he goes down is always intense on an emotional level. Gourmet’s portrayal is one of remarkable skill, again plugging into that level of authenticity that the Dardennes are so marvelous at, becoming this character in a way that few actors are capable of achieving. This is a story ripe for melodrama (it seems that most Dardennes works are) but instead they go for the most understated approach possible and it pays off in every single way, on levels both technical and emotional.

A-

Film #76 of The 365 Film Challenge.