We never choose the environment we’re born into. We don’t have a choice in how we’re raised. Some of us grow up in the roughest of circumstances. There are those of us that fight for basic necessities like food, water, and clothing. There are environments where parents remain drunk or high. If they are sober, they could be abusive in physical, mental, emotional, or sexual ways, or even worse, a combination of all four. These are scars that weigh heavily upon us, well into our adult years. They can affect how we interact with friends, co-workers, and future spouses. Our childhood has more of an effect on us than I would argue we think about sometimes.
Sure, these are all tragic examples. That doesn’t make them any less true. There are families which thrive with just a single parent as well, which also can affect us moving into our adulthood. On the other hand, there are children who grow up in the American dream setting. Two parents who care for their offspring and provide for them with abundance. The American dream looks different for everyone. Some of us picture the wealthiest of families when that really doesn’t have to be the case. Sometimes it can just mean knowing that you’re cared for. We all have these desires. We all want the best.
We can’t always pick our family or the circumstances of our upbringing. We can choose how we respond to them however. For her follow-up to the 2018 juggernaut sequel of Halloween, Andi Matichak is back to raise a son though perhaps not under the greatest of circumstances. Son depicts a mother (Matichak) who escapes the clutches of a Satanic cult, which she was raised in, to give birth to a son (Luke David Blumm). Eight years pass and the cult shows back up in her life to reclaim the son as their own. Perhaps one of the blessings, and ultimately its death curse, is the mysterious element of the film. Throughout the first two acts we get multiple snippets of Matichak’s past. With each passing flashback, we get a little bit more each time. The thing in particular about these scenes are how obscure they can be. It’s not until a scene between Matichak and her son’s protector/investigating cop (Emile Hirsch) has a moment where she comes clean with Hirsch.
That’s really our first glimpse into the shadows of Matichak’s past. The film heightens its intensity within the third act as we draw nearer to said cult. Writer-director Ivan Kavanagh does a marvelous job at setting up these red herrings throughout the film. Viewers are left with multiple possibilities of what could be going on. So much of it is grounded in our own reality and uses actual scientific evidence on what we’ve come to know about how the brain processes trauma. Matichak is incredibly gifted at portraying the struggle. Matichak left an impression on me following her portrayal as Allyson in Halloween - much like Jamie Lee Curtis before her, she has so much potential and a significant future within the medium of film. Matichak is intensely vulnerable throughout the film while also remaining strong and fierce. Matichak steps so easily into both sets of shoes. Her performance is the best thing that Son offers and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
The third act is really where so much of this story falls apart. The mystery that has fueled the narrative is concluded a bit prematurely, and the most frustrating part of this is how the narrative continues to push the mystery after the reveal. This creates an immense decline in quality of the story and characters alike while also giving us a fairly predictable ending. Son literally throws away the best thing it had going for it. With it, it also forfeits the unique depth it was establishing in favor of a bland paint-by-numbers third act. It’s unsatisfying in nearly every way imaginable. Throwing away good performances, narrative, character motivation and commentary in favor of something bland and predictable.
I really have talked in length about Matichak’s performance in particular and that’s because, even given the small size of the cast, Matichak is the most impressionable. Hirsch never really does anything with his cop character. His performance is a typical, surface level, paint by numbers character. Kavanagh does nothing to really make Hirsch anything special. The way in which the narrative picks up and drops off his partner is baffling to me. In the majority of the scenes we see, Hirsch is by himself. I guess that’s to give his character an impact when it reaches the end of its trajectory. However, it makes the film seem conflicted. On top of that, it makes the performance from Cranston Johnson come across as a disposable performance. Johnson has equally wasted his time and talent here, and unfortunately, our time as well. Even Blumm, as the desire of the cult, feels like a young Michael Myers rip-off from Rob Zombie’s Halloween II.
Overall, Son is brought up as a mixed bag of bones. The film attempts to establish a mystery element throughout and does a good job for the first two thirds of the film. In the end, the film falls apart with predictable character decisions and an anti-climatic answer to the mystery. Andi Matichak stands out among the small cast with her performance as a tortured mother. The rest of the characters feel like they were copied from an episode of Law and Order. They are bland, underdeveloped, and have predictable motives. Son is a film full of promise but fails the viewer in the end.
RORSHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: Though I have found myself on the fence about Son, the movie does do a good job at showcasing the ripple effect of trauma. Matichak is a character that was raised within a cult setting. If you know anything about how cults work, that is already a bad environment for anyone to be in - especially a kid. On top of that environment, as you’ll find with some cults, Matichak is also raped. She has enough trauma to last a few lifetimes. What the film captures so incredibly well is how much effect events like this can have on a person’s mental health. Even going through the traditional practices of hospitalization and therapy following such events, the end never really finds itself.
There are still those moments where an unsuspecting person can say or do something that can trigger your past experiences. Mental illness is real. Genetic trauma is also real. These things are hard to discuss and talk about. While I’ve never experienced something as traumatic as Matichak, I have found myself near death a few times and have had traumatic experiences of my own. Even now, years removed, responses can still flair up based on something someone has said or does. Seek help and find healthy outlets on how to cope with the trauma. Consider our resource page or contact a doctor today.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Son is property of RLJE Films and Shudder. We do not own nor claim any rights.
You can now support us on Patreon. Help us get mental health resources into schools and get exclusive content at the same time. Click here to join today!