This British drama’s Internet Movie Database synopsis of & Sons, “A writer tries to reconnect with his sons”, must be one of the mightiest understatements of a synopsis. This is an intense drama, centred on one of Bill Nighy’s most outstanding performances. Source: Australian Catholics.
Here he is a writer who has previously published several successful novels, occasionally accompanied by film versions. But, he has retired from public life, living as a recluse in his mansion – drinking, doing drugs, sometimes full of rage, believing that he is about to die. He is not a sympathetic character. But he is an intriguing one. At home is his 17-year-old son, Andy (Noah Jupe), who cares for his father but, exasperated with him, is eager to get away to school. And there is a strange Swedish secretary who also lives in.
He has two older sons, Richard (Johnny Flynn) and Jamie (George MacKay). The former, who lives in New York, is married with children, but not successful in his career. He hopes to have a screenplay of one of his father’s novels filmed. He has not been home for 20 years but is persuaded to return. Jamie lives in London with his mother (another powerful performance reminding us that Imelda Staunton is one of the great English actresses of her generation), building a career of filming significant family moments.
Reluctantly, the sons return, and the father wants to reveal to them something of his past life and a significant secret. Which is where any plot revelation about & Sons must stop. The secret must have the same dramatic, highly dramatic, credibility testing effect on the audience as it does on his sons.
The film is British but has a celebrated Argentinian director, Pablo Trapero, and the screenplay, based on a novel of 2012 by David Gilbert, adapted for the screen by Oscar-winning actress, writer-director Sarah Polley.
The whole film is well worth seeing for the excellent performances but also for the emotional and moral demands that it makes on its characters and on us.
Review by Fr Peter Malone MSC, Jesuit Media
& SONS: Starring Bill Nighy, Dominic West, George MacKay, Noah Jupe, Johnny Flynn, Imelda Staunton. Directed by Pablo Trapero. 119 minutes. Rated M (Strong language and drug use).
FULL REVIEW
& Sons (Australian Catholics)
