‘My Son‘ is a thriller film written and directed by Christian Carion. It was made by STXfilms and streamed exclusively to Peacock.

Edmond Murray (James McAvoy) returns home to Scotland after traveling abroad for his oil company upon hearing that his son has vanished from a camping trip. His ex-wife Joan Richmond (Claire Foy) has rented a place close by with her boyfriend Frank (Tom Cullen). Ed is clearly distraught, feeling guilty that he spent more time at work than being home with his family. Joan is dealing with a devastating loss apart from their son vanishing, making her more volatile with Ed than usual. This leads to many confrontations before he wonders if his work in the energy sector had something to do with his son vanishing after meeting Inspector Roy (Gary Lewis). Soon, he discovers a web of conspiracy that goes way up the chain of power.

Now, I know this is a remake of a French film, but I have not seen it, so I will review it as a standalone feature.

I want to compliment McAvoy and Foy. The two of them work well together as parents trying to find out what happened to their child. Their chemistry was good and they do their best with the script they are given, taking it very seriously.

The music was also well-made. Laurent Perez del Mar does a good job and has the music compliment the story very well. That goes double for the scenery. It is a well-shot film with plenty of excellent shots of the roving landscapes of Scotland. I found these things very appealing.

Where the film falls apart is it just sort of lackluster. While I did feel the tension at times, there was no sense of impending doom or shivers to go down my spine. The movie would also throw out these subplots that, looking back now, were actually red-herrings to throw you off the scent. Since they are never addressed again, they felt more like they were not explored fully instead of clever twists. For instance, Ed beats his ex-wife’s new boyfriend suspecting him of involvement with the crime, but this is never explored further and the boyfriend is never even mentioned again. A few lines of dialogue would have solved this. I think the issue is that the filmmakers played it safe instead of raising the stakes.

Bottom line, My Son is a sort of lackluster thriller that you could watch just for its pair of stars. It is not the greatest film ever nor is it the worst.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong foul language, Some violence including torture

FAVORITE QUOTE: I might be a wee-while, but I’m coming back.

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my movie reviews of The Vault and Cry Macho. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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