You Will Be My Son (2011)

Neils Arestrup plays Lear? Not quite, but this exceptional film does rework Shakespeare especially in the sub-plot of Lear involving Gloster's (Shakespeare's spelling) two sons, Edgar and Edmund and the parallel even extends to the Gloster figure, played to perfection by Patrick Chesnais, being terminally ill whereas Gloster was merely blinded. There is so much to admire here not least the comprehensive coverage of running a vineyard - in this aspect we can find comparisons with Moby Dick i.e. part fiction, part documentary - and the acting across the board is of the highest quality. After a long career providing film-enhancing support Arestrup finally gets a chance to strut his stuff in a leading and largely unsympathetic role and is equalled, if not surpassed by Chesnais, another largely unsung French actor who never disappoints and brings lustre to even the most thankless role. In this film Chesnais and Arestrup are the Burt Lancaster/Kirk Douglas of France and a thousand times better. This is a film almost beyond praise and cannot be recommended too highly.

Some excellent playing in this film which really works because its French. Some have commented on the character of the son, Martin and that he is an unsympathetic character. In Hollywood, he would have been a lovely doe-eyed sweetie pie, but this is a French movie. A son who has been constantly neglected, abused and criticised by his father is likely to be introverted, resentful and unconfident and so he is. It is to be admired that he is portrayed as flawed and uncharismatic. His loyal and loving wife keeps him going and supports him-without her he would not cope. This film, with more work, money, time etc could have been a classic, but it is still a good reason to value the French film industry.

The film is a well-crafted study of two fathers and two sons. One father owns a prestigious French vineyard but cannot accept or encourage his own son, whom he actually despises, despite the young man's constant attempts to please his father. The other father, terminally ill with cancer, had been estate manager of the vineyard. When his son, who had emigrated and worked for a California winery, returns to visit his dying father, the vineyard owner is so impressed that he attempts to lure the visitor back to France with an impressive job package... including an offer to legally adopt him so that he would share in the inheritance of the vineyard. So now the lines of conflict are neatly in place. One son versus the other. The dying father versus the vineyard owner whom he believes is trying to "steal" away his son... added to the basic conflict between a demanding father and his thankless son. The characters are skillfully drawn and flawlessly acted by a marvelous cast of French players. I thought the direction and photography were superb; you will also learn a lot about the art of growing grapes and producing fine French wines.

Gilles Legrand delivers with Tu Seras Mon Fils a poignant drama carried an excellent duo of actors whose performances are oozing accuracy, the always masterful Niels Arestrup, frightening as an authoritarian and despising patriarch, and Lorànt Deutsch, touching as a constantly demeaned son.The viewer ends up completely carried away by this polished familial tragedy where the implacable unfolding of the plot and the striking dialogues totally captivate from end to end. However, certain motivations are a bit hard to assimilate and the purpose of the opening scene is questionable because it incomprehensibly reveals the twist of the movie, which by the way could be regarded as a bit sloppy.All in all, Tu Seras Mon Fils overall is solid and deserves more consideration than the press critics tried to convince us.