Movie

The Son

2002 · 103 min

A quietly intense, morally suspenseful watch that follows a man's silent struggle with forgiveness and grief.

Directed by: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Genres: Drama
Starring: Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart

Overview: A joinery instructor at a rehab center refuses to take a new teen as his apprentice, but then begins to follow the boy through the hallways and streets.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Stream in the UK

Curzon Amazon Channel

More options Data from JustWatch

Directed by: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Genres: Drama
Starring: Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: tensestrength 3 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
bleakstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: guilt
redemption
grief
morality
isolation
Places: workplace
big city
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	1
Humour	1
Realism	9
Romance	0
Tension	8
Darkness	7
Complexity	7
Emotional weight	9

Titles like The Son

Movie

The Kid with a Bike

2011

A raw, naturalistic portrayal of a boy's turbulent quest for belonging, marked by emotional intensity and quiet moments of hope.

Same director: Luc Dardenne · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about redemption and isolation

Also: Same director: Luc Dardenne
Via: tense
melancholic
redemption
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 87 min

Details

The Kid with a BikeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Dead Man Walking

1995

A somber, morally serious drama that weighs heavily, with quiet tension and raw performances building to an emotionally devastating climax.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Via: tense
melancholic
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 122 min

Details

Dead Man WalkingHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Mass

2021

A raw, intimate conversation that slowly unfolds into a devastating and cathartic exploration of grief and forgiveness.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Via: tense
melancholic
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 111 min

Details

MassHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Unknown Girl

2016

A quiet, morally serious procedural that follows a doctor's guilt-ridden investigation with unflinching realism and mounting unease.

Same director: Luc Dardenne · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Also: Same director: Luc Dardenne
Via: tense
melancholic
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 106 min

Details

The Unknown GirlHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Two Days, One Night

2014

A quietly gruelling, humane ordeal that follows a fragile woman door to door, wringing tension from ordinary conversations and leaving you wrung out but oddly hopeful.

Same writer: Luc Dardenne · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about morality and isolation

Also: Same writer: Luc Dardenne
Via: tense
melancholic
morality
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 95 min

Details

Two Days, One NightHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Troubled Water

2008

A quiet, heavy drama that asks you to sit with guilt and grief, slowly tightening as past and present converge.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Via: tense
melancholic
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 115 min

Details

Troubled WaterHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Whale

2022

A claustrophobic, emotionally raw chamber piece that is hard to watch but impossible to look away from.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Via: tense
melancholic
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 117 min

Details

The WhaleHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Tori and Lokita

2022

A quietly devastating, socially realistic drama that immerses you in the precarious lives of two young immigrants, building tension and heartbreak through understated observation.

Same director: Luc Dardenne · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn

Also: Same director: Luc Dardenne
Via: tense
melancholic
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 88 min

Details

Tori and LokitaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Manchester by the Sea

2016

A quietly devastating, deeply human portrait of grief and guilt, leavened by moments of everyday humor and tenderness.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Via: melancholic
earnest
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 138 min

Details

Manchester by the SeaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

I've Loved You So Long

2008

A quiet, patient study of a guarded woman slowly thawing among family, carrying a heavy secret until it finally breaks.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Via: tense
melancholic
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 115 min

Details

I've Loved You So LongHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Magnolia

1999

A sprawling, emotionally intense mosaic that sweeps you through interconnected lives with raw performances and surreal moments, demanding full attention.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about guilt and redemption

Via: tense
melancholic
guilt
redemption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 189 min

Details

MagnoliaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Watchmaker of St. Paul

1974

A quiet, observational drama that slowly reveals a father's grief and moral resolve, with a low-key thriller pulse.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about grief

Via: melancholic
earnest
grief
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 105 min

Details

The Watchmaker of St. PaulHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream

Curzon Amazon Channel

Rent

Apple TV Store
Amazon Video
Curzon Home Cinema
YouTube

Buy

Apple TV Store
Amazon Video
YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: drama
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Written by: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Starring: Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart, Nassim Hassaïni, Pierre Nisse, Anne Gerard, Annette Closset, Félicien Pitsaer
Cinematography: Alain Marcoen
Runtime: 103 min
Country: Belgium, France
Languages: French

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

The Son

How it feels

More like this

Titles like The Son

Where to watch in the UK

Details