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At the 2021 Oscars, director Florian Zeller shocked everyone when his 2020 single-location movie The Father (based on his own play) won Best Adapted Screenplay and the Best Actor Award for Anthony Hopkins. In his directorial debut, Zeller proved he had what it takes to be a pillar in Hollywood. Two years after the immense success of his first film, Zeller returned to the screen with, The Son, also based on one of his own plays. Like The Father, The Son explores themes of depression, alienation, and the enmeshing of the past with the present. With a stellar cast including the likes of Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, and Vanessa Kirby, the film is surely one to watch.

Jackman leads the cast as the patriarch, Peter Miller, with Laura Dern playing his ex-wife Kate. Vanessa Kirby plays Peter’s new partner Beth, alongside Zen McGrath as Peter's first son Nicholas. Anthony Hopkins is also reprising his role from The Father, playing Peter's dad Anthony. Here is the official synopsis for The Son:

A couple of years after his parents’ divorce, 17-year-old Nicholas no longer feels he can stay with his mother, Kate. He moves in with his father Peter and Peter’s new partner Beth. Juggling work, his and Beth’s new baby, and the offer of his dream job in Washington, Peter tries to care for Nicholas as he wishes his own father had cared for him. But by reaching for the past to correct its mistakes, he loses sight of how to hold onto Nicholas in the present.

For anybody who is interested in watching Zeller's latest film, here's how and where you can watch The Son.

Hugh Jackman in The Son
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

Related:‘The Father’ Review: Anthony Hopkins Gives One of His Best Performances in This Heartbreaking Drama

Where Can I Stream The Son?

As of May 20, 2023, The Son is now available to stream on Netflix. This is thanks to a deal that was struck between Netflix and Sony Pictures that allowed the former to stream the latter studios' recent releases after their theatrical and PVOD runs had ended. The Son will be joining recent Sony titles such as A Man Called Otto, Missing, and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody on the service.

Watch on Netflix

For those without a Netflix subscription, The Son is also available to purchase and rent on the platform of your choice.

When Did The Son Come Out?

The Son opened in limited release in theaters in New York City and Los Angeles for a one-week engagement on November 25. The film then expanded to more theaters across North America on January 20, 2023.

Is The Son Available on Blu-ray and DVD?

The Son became available to purchase on Blu-ray and DVD on January 20, 2023. You can use the links below to see where you can purchase the film.

Watch the Trailer For The Son

The first trailer for The Son came out in August, followed by the full-length trailer in October 2022. The trailer opens with Peter (Jackman) looking upon his wife as she dotes after their baby. This idyllic image of family life is suddenly shattered when his ex-wife Kate knocks on the door and reveals that their son is facing a possible expulsion as well as several other psychological and behavioral issues. The more he focuses on mending the relationship with his oldest son and providing for his family, the more his new partner complains that he is ignoring his baby. The trailer highlights how each character, no matter how guilty, struggles with the same anxieties. Every parent is certain that they are failing their child. However, even with all of the fights, his own inability to express love, and his son’s resentment at being abandoned, the only thing Peter feels he cannot do is giving up on his boy.

Related:Hugh Jackman Explains How '48 Hrs.' Convinced Him to Return as Wolverine for 'Deadpool 3'

More Movies Like The Son That You Can Watch Now

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Image via Sony Pictures Classics

While The Son has gained praise for its observations on fatherhood, it is by no means the first film to explore this aspect of life. To help you out while you wait for your local theater to screen this brilliant stage adaptation, check out these three other films which explore the difficulties of parenting and how hard it is to break harmful familial cycles:

The Lost Daughter: Actress-turned-director Maggie Gyllenhaal made waves last awards season when she released this adaptation of the best-selling novel by reclusive and anonymous Italian author Elena Ferrante (the name being a pseudonym used by the author, whose real name is still unknown). The Lost Daughter opens with university professor Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) on vacation in Greece. When she encounters a struggling young mother named Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her criminal extended family, she begins to have flashbacks of her early days as a mother to two toddlers. It’s a deeply psychological tale that unfolds like a gripping thriller and details how unnerving and damaging motherhood can be for some. With it, Gyllenhaal proved she might be a new director but she is no novice.

Watch on Netflix

Tully: One of the best director-writer collaborations in the past century has been that of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody. They first worked together on the hit comedy-drama Juno, the story of a pregnant teenager’s coming of age. Then they made Young Adult about an eternally adolescent 30-something who returns to her hometown. But it was with Tully that the subject of their films really matured. It follows an exhausted mother of three (Charlize Theron) who hires a night nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis) and the two form a friendship. The movie explores the realities of postpartum depression in rich and creative ways, making it one of the best films of 2018.

Watch on Netflix

Beginners: Many people may be familiar with Mike Mills2016 ensemble film 20th Century Women, which focused on his own relationship with his mother, but his previous film Beginners, which in turn explored his relationship with his father, is just as good. The story revolves around Oliver (Ewan McGregor) as he deals with his father (Christopher Plummer) coming out late in life as a gay man, as well as his death shortly afterward, interspersed with Oliver's own burgeoning romantic relationship. Made only five years after his father’s passing, Mills' story is extremely raw but precise in its message. It’s a sympathetic film that understands and forgives its characters for making the same mistakes their parents made, while also providing hope for a break in the cycles of alienation and repression.

Rent on Amazon