After suspecting that his son has been kidnapped, a father does everything in his power to find him.
A parent’s worst fear depicted in a sorrowful yet mysterious way. James McAvoy could not be a mediocre actor even if he tried his best. The guy is phenomenal! His acting is out of this world. Writer/director Christian Carion, who adapted his own homonymous film My Son (2017), applied the same technique he did back then: Everyone but McAvoy had received the script, so his reactions to every stimulus of the story are genuine. On to that story, then…
The first act concerns the missing boy, the parents’ tribulations, the mother’s new boyfriend, and their triangle. Somewhere there, you get the odd questions from Inspector Roy that start complicating the issue further, but the focus, rightfully, stays on the parents and the missing boy. Until then, the drama and the mystery are well-balanced, and one can only feel for both of them and hope for a happy ending. Imagine: I hate happy endings, and I most certainly wished for one.
The second act is taken over by mystery, where McAvoy, like Liam Neeson, applies some basic investigating skills without a plan but is hell-bent on finding his son. The outcome of his actions is natural and believable as he has not previously displayed any similar skills whatsoever, just a dad willing to do anything to find his son. Eventually, it turns into a nail-biting thriller that, in the end… confuses with the turn of events. There might not be a narrative twist, but there is an emotional one. Personally, I found myself wondering how the ending was befitting, and even though I understood it to some degree, it evoked mixed feelings inside me. It seemed somewhat rushed, and even though Act I and II bothered to explain what was going on – which you might find unnecessary – it abruptly ended, giving away nothing. Again, I understand open endings, but I struggled, and still do, to find meaning in that one. But that is just me.
I hope you enjoy the thrill it offers and yet another stupendous performance from McAvoy. Quick note: I’ve praised Claire Foy in everything she has been in before, and her acting here is nothing but remarkable, too. I just think that she deserved more screen time.
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