A Son is a simple story about a family’s race against time to save the life of their only son. The ethical twist and turns they must travel down make this movie a definite to watch.
The story begins with the seemingly idyllic image of the perfect family. Ben Fares Youssef (Sami Bouajila) and his wife Meriem (Najla Ben Adallah) answer their son Aziz’s (Youssef Khemiri) demand to sing his favourite song one more time, as they drive down the dusty roads of Tunisia to their weekend holiday destination.
Mid song they stumble onto the edge of a terrorist attach. Accelerating backwards all seems well until they realise Aziz has been hit by a stray bullet.
Covered in blood, Meriem cradles her son in the backseat as Fares races to the nearest hospital. There they find out Aziz has a punctured liver and will need a transplant.
Blood tests reveal Meriem cannot be the donor due to a high likelihood of organ rejection. In a somewhat predictable story line, the blood tests also reveal that Fares is not the biological father, something that comes as a surprise to Meriem. When and how should this news be broken to Fares and how will he react?
As Aziz’s condition deteriorates Fares becomes more insistent about donating. But Islamic law forbids organ donation outside the family unit. Meriem must tell her secret and put herself at the risk of going to jail for adultery. With a long waiting list for organ donations the biological father must be found.
Life is thrown into chaos, as the couple grapples with traditional values of what it means to be a father and the responsibilities of a wife in an Arab-world context.
What happens next, amid the rapidly diminishing time frame, will keep viewers intrigued. A Son is a very clever, tight directorial debut for Mehdi Barsaoui, supported by superb acting by the leads.
As I sat on glued to the screen my heart rate rising I pondered:
- Anyone who has ever had to divulge a secret will know the anguish of ‘when to tell’;
- A blink and you’ll miss it scene in the movie is a clever reminder that someones best day can be another persons worst;
- I’ll definitely be looking out for more work by Barsaoui
For more information go to Luna cinemas
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