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‘The Quiet Son’ Review: Vincent Lindon Stars in a Stolid Parenting Drama With a Social-Issues Slant
Vincent Lindon stars in "The Quiet Son," the competent if uninspired tale of a loving father faced with his son's right-wing radicalization.
If you’re one of those people whose first instinct in cases of youth violence is to blame the parents, “ The Quiet Son,” the new Venice-competing title from directors Delphine and Muriel Coulin(“17 Girls”) has a valuable perspective, telling the believably downbeat story of a 22-year-old French guy who becomes embroiled in right-wing street politics, exclusively from the point of view of his loving but uncomprehending father. If, however, you’re already of the opinion that the issue is more complex than simple parental negligence, the solidly straightforward film has less to offer, as it states and restates the problem of rising, increasingly aggressive alt-right sympathies among young, working class populations, without providing any novel or particularly useful insights into it. Adapted by the Coulin sisters from the book “Ce qu’il faut de nuit” by Laurent Petitmangin, the film’s main attraction beyond its torn-from-the-headlines topicality, is Vincent Lindon (so often cast as a blue-collar worker he could confidently launch his own line of high-vis jackets and durable workwear), once again making the most of a gruffly sympthetic everyman role.
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