SON doesn't manage to move beyond familiar territory
Written and Directed by Ivan Kavanagh
Starring Laura Andi Matichak, Luke David Blumm, Emile Hirsch
Not Rated
Runtime: 1 hour 38 min
Available digitally March 5
by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer
The film opens with Laura (Andi Matichak) running away from a cult that she grew up in, in order to save the child she is pregnant with. It jumps to several years later where she works as a teacher and is raising her son, David (Luke David Blumm), all on her own. The two seem to be managing fine until Laura sees people in David’s room; then he starts to become ill and the doctors have no idea what is wrong with the boy. She lets Paul (Emile Hirsch )know that she thinks the cult is back to claim her son. When she becomes suspicious that those around her could be involved, she goes on the run with him in order to protect him. However, Laura has trouble remembering some of her past, and the detectives following her believe she is dangerous and has made up the stories about the cult. As Laura tries to get her son to help, his condition becomes something far more horrifying than she can imagine.
This film answers the question of what would have happened if Rosemary escaped the cult and had her baby? Although this film certainly does not hold up to the cult classic that is Rosemary’s Baby, this film delves into many of the same themes. The film discusses themes around cults, mental health, believing women, and how far a mother would go to protect her child. While it is nice to see films tackling these themes, this film does not have a fulfilling outcome or message. It ops instead to go for the twist ending that most folks will probably see coming. However, the concept of the woman escaping the cult and raising her possibly demonic son is an interesting idea and the story itself is pretty interesting.
To give the film its due, it ends up getting way crazier than I initially expected. Once the story begins to unfold and you start to learn what is going on, it delves into more territories than you would expect. When it decides to go for it, it does, with plenty of blood splatter to boot. There are also moments of really great filmmaking. In particular, there is a scene at one of the motels they stay in where the shots are soaked in turquoise and pink neon lights. The beginning of the film also has several dream sequences and jump scare moments that really work. Truly the look of Son is one of the best aspects of it, so big kudos to Piers McGrail, the film’s director of photography. The combination of filming, light, and stand out set pieces are some of the aspects that make this a more memorable film.
Andi Matichak gives a really wonderful performance. There is so much that needs to come through in her character and she manages to do a great job. Her performance is noticeably different from her portrayal of Laurie Strode’s granddaughter in the new Halloween. This woman has some serious range and hopefully she will continue working in the horror genre. Another impressive performance is Luke David Blumm as her son. Given what they decide to do with his character there is a lot this young boy has to do and he is really sweet and terrifying at times. The film also stars Emile Hirsch who has certainly proven to be an interesting genre actor in recent years. He gives a perfectly fine performance but it does seem like they did not give him anything particularly interesting to do.
One of the more difficult parts of the film is its portrayal of trauma and mental illness. The film is filled with male doctors, psychiatrists, and authority figures that do nothing but question Laura’s sanity because of her past. These moments are incredibly cringey and in the end the film does not do enough to justify all the mansplaining, gaslighting behavior the audience is forced to endure. Although this is still the reality for so many people who have to cope with mental health and trauma, the film does not seem to have anything interesting or different to say than films made in the 70s.
It is a perfectly fine film and there are certainly worse things to watch on Shudder, but it lacks anything that makes it a standout horror flick. The story, acting, and filmmaking are all decent but there is just some essential moviemaking magic that seems to be missing from this supernatural horror film. But if you are looking for some gore, jump scares, and satanic cults then this might be a fun watch for you.