A new trailer for “The Son” – the follow-up to Florian Zeller’s Oscar-winning drama “The Father” – has arrived, and by the looks of it, the new feature is poised to be just as devastating.
From Falco Ink and Sony Pictures Classics, the prequel stars Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern as divorced parents to Nicholas (newcomer Zen McGrath). Once a relatively happy kid, Nicholas is now angry, closed off and has been missing from school for months. Upon discovering this, Kate (Dern) goes to Peter (Jackman) for help, upending the balance of his life with his new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby), infant son and demanding job.
At the top of the video, Kate delivers the news to Peter while Beth stands awkwardly in the background. In a surprising move, Nicholas asks to move in with Peter after he attempts to reconnect with him, leaving Kate feeling like a failure. But it’s no easy fix: Peter finds himself torn between his parental duties to his teenage son and his newborn, while work pulls him away from both branches of his family.
Nicholas’ ongoing issues force Peter to reckon with his own failures as a parent. “I wasn’t there for him,” he admits to his ex-wife in one scene.
“You give us these big speeches about life and then you abandon us,” Nicholas tells his father through tears in another scene.
“I have the right to reinvent my life,” he shouts back at his son.
Nicholas’ cries for help unravel everyone in his orbit, as seen toward the end of the trailer, when Peter visits his father (played by Anthony Hopkins, who won an Oscar for starring in “The Father” in 2020) and reflects on their relationship.
Director Zeller reunites with his “The Father” writing partner Christopher Hampton for the screenplay, based on Zeller’s play “Le Fils.” The film is produced by Zeller, Joanna Laurie, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Christophe Spadone.
“The Son” held its world premiere at Venice Film Festival in September, and will release in select theaters on Nov. 25 before expanding nationwide on Dec. 16.
Check out the trailer above.
