The Quiet Son
Description
Pierre (Vincent Lindon) is a railroad repairman in northeastern France who discovers that his eldest son is hanging around a group of right-wing thugs in this carefully observed drama centered on family and politics. After the early death of their mother, Pierre raised the scholarly Louis and the more jockish Félix with blue-collar values but a progressive sensibility. So when the latter begins spouting nationalist rhetoric and develops a penchant for violence, Pierre tries to assert some parental authority. As familial bonds begin to fray, the film becomes a remarkable study of the poisonous vitriol that impacts certain present-day political forces. Vincent Lindon has an air of world weariness that makes him perfect to play the father who wonders where he went wrong and he’s matched by the nuanced script by Delphine and Muriel Coulin, who return to SFFILM after their equally excellent features 17 Girls (Festival 2012) and The Stopover (Festival 2017). —Rod Armstrong
Delphine Coulin studied literature and political science before embarking on her career in film. Among her work with her sister and filmmaking partner Muriel are short films Il faut imaginer Sisyphe heureux (1997) and Souffle (2000). They also directed a TV movie, L’homme sans douleur (2007). They made their feature debut with 17 Girls (Festival 2012), for which they were nominated for a César Award for Best First Film.
Muriel Coulin is a graduate of the Louis Lumière School, who started her career as a camera assistant and then director of photography. Since she and her sister Delphine made their feature debut 17 Girls (Festival 2012), they have collaborated on three more features, including The Stopover (Festival 2017), winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard—Screenplay Prize; Charlotte Salomon, la jeune fille et la vie (2023); and now The Quiet Son.
Film Details
LanguageFrench
Original Language TitleJouer avec le feu
Year2024
Runtime119
CountryFrance
DirectorDelphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin
ProducerOlivier Delbosc, Marie Guillaumond
Executive ProducerAude Cathelin
WriterDelphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin
EditorBéatrice Herminie, Pierre Deschamps
CinematographerFrédéric Noirhomme
MusicPawel Mykietyn
CastVincent Lindon, Benjamin Voisin, Stefan Crepon
Print SourcePlaytime
Closed CaptionsClosed Captions are not currently confirmed for this film
Audio DescriptionAudio Descriptions are not currently confirmed for this film
American Sign Language (ASL) InterpretationAmerican Sign Language Interpretation is not currently scheduled for this film
