A man gets a panicked call from his ex-wife, who tells him that their young son has disappeared from the tepee camp where he was supposed to enjoy a nice vacation. When it becomes clear that the boy has been abducted, the increasingly desperate father uses all means fair and foul in order to find his child. Anything goes, including torture and manslaughter...
Viewed as a thriller, "Mon garçon" is watchable, although it would have benefitted from a few additional twist and turns or from a few additional red herrings. (The movie, by the way, takes a dim view of the French police and gendarmerie, who seem to be as useful as a woollen blanket in a heatwave. Now I may be foolishly optimistic, but I would expect that the sudden disappearance of a young child, especially in a quiet region without major problems, would warrant the full attention and skill of some seriously competent investigators.) Viewed as a drama, "Mon garçon" starts out in a remarkably truthful and life-like fashion, only in order to become more shallow and implausible.
This is a pity, since the movie, at least in the beginning, contains some impressive scenes which ring true. For instance there's the scene where the shaken father, who hasn't got a clue about what might have happened to his son, meets the new partner of his ex-wife. The new partner turns out to be a self-centered fool who prattles and burbles happily about the niceness of his own life : he's found his soul mate, he's going to build her a dream house and that dream house is going to look stunning. And nah, he isn't too bothered about the kid, he'll turn up... Unsurprisingly the conversation, which began in a reasonably civilized manner, derails with the speed of a runaway train.
In a certain sense "Mon garçon" represents a wish fulfillment dream for many divorced men, especially divorced men who feel hard-done-by or who still carry a torch for their ex. An emergency arises ; dad is called to the rescue ; stepdad proves totally useless ; thanks to his resourcefulness and courage dad saves the day ; both the ex and the child fall weeping into dad's arms, recognizing him as their saviour and as the one true captain of their little ship.
Just watch the ending and then tell me if I'm wrong...
Viewed as a thriller, "Mon garçon" is watchable, although it would have benefitted from a few additional twist and turns or from a few additional red herrings. (The movie, by the way, takes a dim view of the French police and gendarmerie, who seem to be as useful as a woollen blanket in a heatwave. Now I may be foolishly optimistic, but I would expect that the sudden disappearance of a young child, especially in a quiet region without major problems, would warrant the full attention and skill of some seriously competent investigators.) Viewed as a drama, "Mon garçon" starts out in a remarkably truthful and life-like fashion, only in order to become more shallow and implausible.
This is a pity, since the movie, at least in the beginning, contains some impressive scenes which ring true. For instance there's the scene where the shaken father, who hasn't got a clue about what might have happened to his son, meets the new partner of his ex-wife. The new partner turns out to be a self-centered fool who prattles and burbles happily about the niceness of his own life : he's found his soul mate, he's going to build her a dream house and that dream house is going to look stunning. And nah, he isn't too bothered about the kid, he'll turn up... Unsurprisingly the conversation, which began in a reasonably civilized manner, derails with the speed of a runaway train.
In a certain sense "Mon garçon" represents a wish fulfillment dream for many divorced men, especially divorced men who feel hard-done-by or who still carry a torch for their ex. An emergency arises ; dad is called to the rescue ; stepdad proves totally useless ; thanks to his resourcefulness and courage dad saves the day ; both the ex and the child fall weeping into dad's arms, recognizing him as their saviour and as the one true captain of their little ship.
Just watch the ending and then tell me if I'm wrong...