Son of Mine

Apowerfulfather-sondramaplaysoutintheignored,impoverishedDutchprovinceofSouthLimburg,whichoffersnoopportunityforescape.Neitherforthecharacters,whocarryonanunequalstruggleagainsttheirsocialconditions,norfortheaudience.Gluckauf’schokeholdismuchtoofirmforthat.<br/>　　Fifty-somethingLei(BartSlegers)isapettycriminaljustaboutgettingbyintheDutchprovinceofZuid-Limburg.HissonJeffreyiseverythingtohim;allhehas.Gluckaufrevolvesaroundthissuffocatinglove.However,itisafflictedbyacursethathasitsrootsinthehistoryoftheregion.<br/>　　Withoutthepointbeingoverlylaboured,theclosingoftheminesinthisforgottenpartoftheNetherlandsisfeltineveryporeofthenarrative,likeawoundthatjustwon’theal.Thiscurse(Lei’sex-wifereferstoitasa‘punishment’)isgivenbeautifulvisualform.Manyofthesettingsaresombreanddark,likeomensofwhatistocome.Andduringacrucialcarjourneyundertakenbyfatherandson-themomenttheirestrangementbeginstosoundfinal(JeffreysaysLei‘soundslikeawoman’)-allwecanseeisaglimpseofLei’sface,andtotaldarknessisjustaroundthecorner.<br/>　　RemyvanHeugten,whogrewupinthisarea,hasmadeapersonal,grippingfilmthatconvincesoneverylevel:script,acting,camera,artdirectionandeditingareallrocksolid.TheabrasivelyrealisticstyleisunmistakeablyreminiscentofthefilmsoftheDardennebrothers,whosetmostoftheirfilmsjustastone’sthrowaway.WithGluckauf,theNetherlandsnowhasitsownversion,everybitaspowerfulandpainful.