My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
The mystery isn't who, but why.
The first collaboration between legendary filmmakers David Lynch and Werner Herzog, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done was inspired by a true crime story of a young stage actor who, obsessed with a Greek tragedy he's rehearsing, slays his own mother with a sword. Academy Award Nominees Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, and Willem Dafoe headline this psychological thriller directed by Herzog, produced by Lynch, and featuring Grace Zabriskie, Udo Kier, and Brad Dourif.
Member Reviews
Deep and rich with imagery - jenottawa
If you like Adam Sandler comedies and slasher flicks because you are not a deep thinker, then this is not the movie for you. Watching the character's descent into a deranged messiah is fascinating and disturbing. In a way I think we have all wanted to kill our mothers at one time or another, and the material of the play and thinking he had to kill her to end the carnage of the many years of war and sin finally took him to that brink. There is no overacting - just people talking as people normally do. I will definitely be looking into picking up more David Lynch and Werner Herzog flicks.No good performances here!! - HotTubber
Michael Shannon plays an unhinged actor who kills his mother with a sword, mirroring the small scale theatre production of Orestes that he is currently rehearsing. The police believe he is also holding two hostages in his home and a siege situation develops. William Dafoe plays the caring detective in charge of the stand-off, convinced that Shannon is a psychopath.
This whole set-up is entirely devoid of tension and suspense, as we pause for flashbacks to the actor's troubled past, his spiritual awakening in Peru and Mexico and his problematic relationship with his overbearing mother.His fiancee and director turn up and try to give assistance but are no less effective in shaping the outcome as anyone else.
It lacks a forceful performance to drive it, as Nicolas Cage did with his wonderful turn in Herzog's previous film Bad Lieutenant. Shannon, normally a first rate performer, here lacks vibrancy in animating his character's demons while Dafoe should be far more energetic in dealing with the strange events. There's no pace to the proceedings, so one is left wholly uninvolved in this aimless and pretentious piffle. Herzog fans will probably find something of interest though and Lynch acolytes might like to know that a dwarf shows up in one scene, but overall this is a meandering bore.My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done - Derekstar
I love Werner Herzog. I'm totally digging his animal obsession that I suppose he's always had, but which has really surfaced in everything ever since Grizzly Man. It's here, as strong as ever. I've read online people saying that this movie adds up to a lot of crazy, weird scenes but not much substantively. I would just ask those people to re-examine the flamingos. Herzog is never given enough credit. Nor was this movie. It's not his best, but it's so dense, it deserves serious thought.
Member Reviews
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Deep and rich with imagery - jenottawa
If you like Adam Sandler comedies and slasher flicks because you are not a deep thinker, then this is not the movie for you. Watching the character's descent into a deranged messiah is fascinating and disturbing. In a way I think we have all wanted to kill ...No good performances here!! - HotTubber
Michael Shannon plays an unhinged actor who kills his mother with a sword, mirroring the small scale theatre production of Orestes that he is currently rehearsing. The police believe he is also holding two hostages in his home and a siege situation develops. ...My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done - Derekstar
I love Werner Herzog. I'm totally digging his animal obsession that I suppose he's always had, but which has really surfaced in everything ever since Grizzly Man. It's here, as strong as ever. I've read online people saying that this movie adds up to a ...