Review of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2010) by Michael R — 21 Feb 2012
The idea of David Lynch and Werner Herzog working together sounds like a cineaste's dream, so the tedious mediocrity of "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" is a grave disappointment.
This one comes off like a quickie, mostly shot with available light in sunny San Diego and full of performances which seem notably underrehearsed. No one tries too hard, except the ever-ghoulish Udo Kier. Chloe Sevigny is particularly unconvincing, and looks like she can't wait for a cut so she can have a laugh.
The casual treatment becomes doubly irksome, considering the heavy scenario: A disturbed son (Richard Kiel-lookalike Michael Shannon) who murders his controlling mother (Grace Zabriskie, wildly over the top). As Shannon holds up in the family home with two hostages, the police (led by Willem Dafoe) keep watch and interview friends about his history. The killer's background is filled in with disjointed flashbacks, a la "Citizen Kane." The similarities stop there.
The triggers for his madness include a doomed rafting trip and an all-consuming role in a local staging of a Greek tragedy, but such details do not adequately explain the killing.
The film has none of the eerie atmosphere which one might expect from a David Lynch production, and even the soundtrack is just a sloppy assemblage of found music.
Watch for a moment in Peru where Shannon repeats a line after it's interrupted by unplanned thunder.
This review of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2010) was written by Michael R on 21 Feb 2012.
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done has generally received mixed reviews.
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