neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Son
	Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart 2002		The Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne ("Rosetta," "La Promesse") direct dramas that stare, unblinkingly, at people in crisis and seem more like documentaries shot with held-held cameras than scripted movies. "The Son" — fixating on Olivier (Olivier Gourmet), a diligent carpentry teacher at a vocational school — is as good and as troubling as their other films. Olivier is in the process of coping with his divorce and the loneliness of the single life when a new student, 16-year-old Francis (Morgan Marinne), enrolls in the school. The presence of Francis unnerves Olivier, who has a disturbing connection to the boy, while Francis is ignorant about any relationship he might have had in the past with the teacher. Olivier observes Francis at school and keeps his distance, but soon, the older man is surreptitiously following the kid around town. Eventually, Olivier is compelled to act as Francis's instructor, infuriating Olivier's ex-wife Magali (Isabella Soupart) and assuring that, sooner or later, the link between these people will be revealed. With actors who are totally immersed in their roles, "The Son" is painfully believable.