The Son
Director: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Year Released: 2002
Rating: 3.0
A carpenter encounters the delinquent teenager that killed his son while teaching at an instructional school; without letting the kid know this privileged information, he instead treats him as a surrogate son, and acts as his mentor. This very basic premise is executed marvelously by the Brothers Dardenne, and their use of handheld cameras only adds to the realism - the tension is produced by the lack of proper exposition, and the viewer, in turn, has to play a more active role in the picture. As a psychological study, it's simply excellent - the man spends time around the teenager to 'get to know' the individual that (we're to believe) ruined his marriage (and perhaps his life), and the ending I expected (in the form of revenge) never comes - the movie obstinately refuses to give provide easy answers.
