The Perfect Son

Rating:
Summary: A story of humanity and connections
Review: "The Perfect Son" is the story of two thirty-something brothers, estranged for some time, who are reunited when the second of their parents passes away. The characters somewhat remind me of the two brothers in "Six Feet Under," in that one is (not openly) gay (and is generally perceived as the "good son," devoted to the family, former caretaker of the father during his final illness, and earning a good living) and one is straight (but has the perception of being irresponsible, even has a substance abuse problem, not good with relationships, and is an unpublished author who can't get his act together). In talks over their father's estate, Theo (the gay son) learns not just about his brother Ryan's sexuality, but the fact that he is in the final stages of AIDS. Theo becomes one of Ryan's caregivers, and, as they draw closer together, the relationship helps him to better deal with other issues in his life, including a relationship with a woman doctor.

Though I wasn't expecting much from an indie Canadian film (which won their "Genie" award in 2001), I thought the production values and acting were quite good, and the story had positive notes among the sadness of dealing with death and illness.

Rating:
Summary: A story of humanity and connections
Review: "The Perfect Son" is the story of two thirty-something brothers, estranged for some time, who are reunited when the second of their parents passes away. The characters somewhat remind me of the two brothers in "Six Feet Under," in that one is (not openly) gay (and is generally perceived as the "good son," devoted to the family, former caretaker of the father during his final illness, and earning a good living) and one is straight (but has the perception of being irresponsible, even has a substance abuse problem, not good with relationships, and is an unpublished author who can't get his act together). In talks over their father's estate, Theo (the gay son) learns not just about his brother Ryan's sexuality, but the fact that he is in the final stages of AIDS. Theo becomes one of Ryan's caregivers, and, as they draw closer together, the relationship helps him to better deal with other issues in his life, including a relationship with a woman doctor.

Though I wasn't expecting much from an indie Canadian film (which won their "Genie" award in 2001), I thought the production values and acting were quite good, and the story had positive notes among the sadness of dealing with death and illness.

Rating:
Summary: Manipulative, but good.
Review: In western culture, we men are brought up to believe that expressing or internally dealing with our emotions is a sign of weakness. This is often reflected in commercial movies and TV series where men are shown to deal with emotions like grief, anger and hurt with violence and self destructive behaviour. So it is with a sign of relief that I came across a movie such as The Perfect Son that illustrates a heartwarming emotional journey between two men.

Ryan (Colm Feore) is a successful lawyer who has taken care of his father whilst younger brother Theo (David Cubitt) has excluded himself from his family and travelled down the road of drug abuse and self loathing. It is after the death of the Father where we see Ryan and Theo reunited.

Initially distant and hesitant of acknowledging emotional bonds between them, Theo soon discovers Ryan's secret homosexuality and AIDS infection. It is from this point we see the 2 characters slowly come together, rebond and deal with the emotions between each other and the outside world.

So we enter on a journey of both characters' self discovery and coming to terms with their weaknesses as well as strengths, and it is up to the audience to decide who is the 'perfect son', if indeed a perfect son exists at all.

Both leads bring so much raw emotion to their roles to create believable three dimensional characters.

This is not a movie where homosexuality or death is at the forefront of the story - instead they are used as vehicles to reunite the 2 brothers together and spark their emotional journey to reconnect.

The DVD itself is well presented considering The Perfect Son is a small budget Canadian Film. The transfer is the original widescreen print presented in very high quality where the wonderful use of light in the film can be seen in every detail. A 'behind the scenes' featurette featuring interviews with the main actors and production crew provides additional insights into the film. A trailer, as well as trailers for other WolfeVideo DVD releases, are included also. However the one extra that stands out is the audio commentary by writer/director Leonard Farlinger and actor Colm Feore. Leonard is always engaging to listen to - he delves deeply into the story, filmmaking process and 'behind the scenes' and you really feel as though you have learned something from him, even though the discussion can get quite technical at times. After a slow start, Colm becomes just as engaging and it's interesting to hear an actors point of view of the movie making process.

The Perfect Son touches on many taboo topics in society such as sexuality, death, euthanasia and abortion, however the main purpose of this movie is seeing 2 men dealing with their emotions is a way that is so very rarely seen in cinema.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming study of male emotions
Review: In western culture, we men are brought up to believe that expressing or internally dealing with our emotions is a sign of weakness. This is often reflected in commercial movies and TV series where men are shown to deal with emotions like grief, anger and hurt with violence and self destructive behaviour. So it is with a sign of relief that I came across a movie such as The Perfect Son that illustrates a heartwarming emotional journey between two men.

Ryan (Colm Feore) is a successful lawyer who has taken care of his father whilst younger brother Theo (David Cubitt) has excluded himself from his family and travelled down the road of drug abuse and self loathing. It is after the death of the Father where we see Ryan and Theo reunited.

Initially distant and hesitant of acknowledging emotional bonds between them, Theo soon discovers Ryan's secret homosexuality and AIDS infection. It is from this point we see the 2 characters slowly come together, rebond and deal with the emotions between each other and the outside world.

So we enter on a journey of both characters' self discovery and coming to terms with their weaknesses as well as strengths, and it is up to the audience to decide who is the 'perfect son', if indeed a perfect son exists at all.

Both leads bring so much raw emotion to their roles to create believable three dimensional characters.

This is not a movie where homosexuality or death is at the forefront of the story - instead they are used as vehicles to reunite the 2 brothers together and spark their emotional journey to reconnect.

The DVD itself is well presented considering The Perfect Son is a small budget Canadian Film. The transfer is the original widescreen print presented in very high quality where the wonderful use of light in the film can be seen in every detail. A 'behind the scenes' featurette featuring interviews with the main actors and production crew provides additional insights into the film. A trailer, as well as trailers for other WolfeVideo DVD releases, are included also. However the one extra that stands out is the audio commentary by writer/director Leonard Farlinger and actor Colm Feore. Leonard is always engaging to listen to - he delves deeply into the story, filmmaking process and 'behind the scenes' and you really feel as though you have learned something from him, even though the discussion can get quite technical at times. After a slow start, Colm becomes just as engaging and it's interesting to hear an actors point of view of the movie making process.

The Perfect Son touches on many taboo topics in society such as sexuality, death, euthanasia and abortion, however the main purpose of this movie is seeing 2 men dealing with their emotions is a way that is so very rarely seen in cinema.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Manipulative, but good.
Review: Parts of this film are emotionally brutal, and I must confess that I felt as though the filmakers were deliberately and relentlessly hitting "controversy"/"sensationalism" buttons. In 93 minutes we deal with drug abuse, euthanasia, abortion, closeted homosexuality, AIDS, gay-bashing, sex-clubs, musings about one's own mortality, and coping with the death of family members. Be forewarned: this is not stuff for a light evening.

Having said all this, I appreciate that that the film was made. The acting is convincing and one does gain a sense of redemption watching the estranged brothers regain a a shared sense of filial love. Neither of the brothers is 100% likeable; indeed, both could easily be hated. But in truth all people have weaknesses, and a strength of the film is that a viewer comes to care about these two often unpleasant people. The younger brother's behavior in the last few minutes, while dramatic, loving, and selfless, does strain credibility; I suspect that most people in the depicted situation would would experience some discomfort or squeamishness.

Rating:
Summary: Seems familiar...
Review: The Perfect Son is a film by that venerable studio Wolf Studios (home of the less than mediocre films about gay life). I didn't realize this when I rented the film. In watching The Perfect Son I was surprised to find a film that was cogent and cohesive for the most part. Beyond that, it is surprisingly well acted. Colm Feore is a capable actor. However (and that's a big however) - the film is greatly flawed by a poor editing job (I'm giving the screenwriter some credit on this one and blaming the editor - it could be the reverse though). The opening scenes of the film are unnecessarily drawn out, showing expositional material and "background" information that could have been portrayed much tighter than is shown. This is extent throughout. And then the flipside is also the case: scenes which could use a bit more clarity for the purpose of background information, don't have any to show at all. Though I am bored with films that unnecessarily show "flashbacks", The Perfect Son desperately needs them.

This is a film about two brothers who haven't seen each other in years and unite after the death of their father. One is the golden child and the other is the abandoned and all but disowned child. Harkening not just slightly to the Biblical story of the prodigal son, The Perfect Son doesn't let us see the childhood events that brought about this uneven treatment by the father, nor the childhood relationship of the brothers. We are only able to hear about it in two very slight references that aren't really enough.

The Perfect Son feels more like a 1970's disease of the week film that the television networks were dashing together right and left at the time.

The disease in this film is AIDS. And to give the devil his due, this treatment of AIDS is far more watchable and tolerable than many other films of late have given it. It doesn't really focus on the AIDS, but attempts to focus on the painful relationship between two opposites - the brothers.

So, in short, The Perfect Son is far from perfect, but it is very watchable. Yes, it's a disease of the week film, but it's done so much better than many bigger films of recent.

Rating:
Summary: Disease-of-the-week-made-for-TV posing as feature film
Review: The Perfect Son is a film by that venerable studio Wolf Studios (home of the less than mediocre films about gay life). I didn't realize this when I rented the film. In watching The Perfect Son I was surprised to find a film that was cogent and cohesive for the most part. Beyond that, it is surprisingly well acted. Colm Feore is a capable actor. However (and that's a big however) - the film is greatly flawed by a poor editing job (I'm giving the screenwriter some credit on this one and blaming the editor - it could be the reverse though). The opening scenes of the film are unnecessarily drawn out, showing expositional material and "background" information that could have been portrayed much tighter than is shown. This is extent throughout. And then the flipside is also the case: scenes which could use a bit more clarity for the purpose of background information, don't have any to show at all. Though I am bored with films that unnecessarily show "flashbacks", The Perfect Son desperately needs them.

This is a film about two brothers who haven't seen each other in years and unite after the death of their father. One is the golden child and the other is the abandoned and all but disowned child. Harkening not just slightly to the Biblical story of the prodigal son, The Perfect Son doesn't let us see the childhood events that brought about this uneven treatment by the father, nor the childhood relationship of the brothers. We are only able to hear about it in two very slight references that aren't really enough.

The Perfect Son feels more like a 1970's disease of the week film that the television networks were dashing together right and left at the time.

The disease in this film is AIDS. And to give the devil his due, this treatment of AIDS is far more watchable and tolerable than many other films of late have given it. It doesn't really focus on the AIDS, but attempts to focus on the painful relationship between two opposites - the brothers.

So, in short, The Perfect Son is far from perfect, but it is very watchable. Yes, it's a disease of the week film, but it's done so much better than many bigger films of recent.

Rating:
Summary: Poignant and Timely
Review: THE PERFECT SON is one of those low budget Canadian films that seem to appear in the Video Store without ever having been noticed during the theater run. Sad fact - that the movie-going audience didn't take notice of this superb little film, but then perhaps its intimate qualities are better served on the home TV screen. "In my beginning is my end", a quote from TS Eliot, describes the beauty of the quality of this movie. This is a story about two brothers, coming together for the funeral of their father, their lives having been separated by secretive lifestyles: Theo (the younger) is a writer who spends his life more on the inside of drug rehab centers than in the real world and appears to be NOT the perfect son of the title; Ryan, who is a glossy lawyer, in charge of all the funereal details, appears to be the perfect son until we 'accidentaly' discover that his life style has contributed to a secret 10 years of IV infusions for AIDS. It is this disparity of lives that underlies the distance between the brothers until their mutual need for each other's care crumbles the walls a lifetime created. So which one (if eithr) is 'The Perfect Son'?

In some hands this story could be a banal soap opera. Fortunately the writer and director and the two male leads bring power, credibilty, conviction, and a total lack of stereotype behaviour to these roles. Colm Feore and David Cubitt ( with a stunning role of Theo's girlfriend defoned by Chandra West) are both extraordinarily fine actors, making us not only believe in them separately and identify with their individual plights, but they have that rare ability to interact as brothers resolving the all too familiar familial estrangement in such a gently humorous and yet ultimately genuinely tender way. Quibbles Departmant: the editing of this film creates a choppy effect, dangling tiny moments of pure scenery or fragments of 2 lines of dialogue surrounded by slow fade in/fade out technique. But perhaps that is part of the mystery of the simplicity of this movie: life is a series of fleeting moments that can often appear as elusive as moths and breezes and perhaps that is what the director is pointing out in this wisely understated film. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Poignant and Timely
Review: THE PERFECT SON is one of those low budget Canadian films that seem to appear in the Video Store without ever having been noticed during the theater run. Sad fact - that the movie-going audience didn't take notice of this superb little film, but then perhaps its intimate qualities are better served on the home TV screen. "In my beginning is my end", a quote from TS Eliot, describes the beauty of the quality of this movie. This is a story about two brothers, coming together for the funeral of their father, their lives having been separated by secretive lifestyles: Theo (the younger) is a writer who spends his life more on the inside of drug rehab centers than in the real world and appears to be NOT the perfect son of the title; Ryan, who is a glossy lawyer, in charge of all the funereal details, appears to be the perfect son until we 'accidentaly' discover that his life style has contributed to a secret 10 years of IV infusions for AIDS. It is this disparity of lives that underlies the distance between the brothers until their mutual need for each other's care crumbles the walls a lifetime created. So which one (if eithr) is 'The Perfect Son'?

In some hands this story could be a banal soap opera. Fortunately the writer and director and the two male leads bring power, credibilty, conviction, and a total lack of stereotype behaviour to these roles. Colm Feore and David Cubitt ( with a stunning role of Theo's girlfriend defoned by Chandra West) are both extraordinarily fine actors, making us not only believe in them separately and identify with their individual plights, but they have that rare ability to interact as brothers resolving the all too familiar familial estrangement in such a gently humorous and yet ultimately genuinely tender way. Quibbles Departmant: the editing of this film creates a choppy effect, dangling tiny moments of pure scenery or fragments of 2 lines of dialogue surrounded by slow fade in/fade out technique. But perhaps that is part of the mystery of the simplicity of this movie: life is a series of fleeting moments that can often appear as elusive as moths and breezes and perhaps that is what the director is pointing out in this wisely understated film. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Seems familiar...
Review: Thsi movie tries to play off the relationship of the brothers and it does a fine job but sometimes it feels forced and a bit familiar. Even though I liked the brothers, I feel that the straight one (can't remember his name) makes too huge of a transition over the course of this film. I suppose it could happen....

This film seems to borrow parts from other movies. There is the "Memento" style beginning and end (which I though was masterfully done), The "Rites of Passage" brother thing, and a scene or two borrowed from "Philadelphia".

Well acted, technically sound, and entertaining. This film could be a good addition to one's home video collection but there isn't much in it that is original.