The 2022 film The Son is a powerful reminder of the trauma that a parent’s divorce can cause children. Depression, self-harm, and other psychological wounds among children and young people are an epidemic of our time, one that is primarily the result of a society manipulated by media-spread lies about romantic relationships.

The story follows Peter as he struggles to cope with his troubled teenage son, Nicolas, who suffers from depression and anxiety as a result of the divorce and family conflicts.

Nicolas skips school and engages in self-harm. He wants to move in with his father because he and his mother are constantly at each other’s throats. His father, Peter, lives with his new partner, with whom he has a child.

Nicolas’s father takes him in. During his stay with his father, Nicolas accuses both his father and his partner of selfishness, which has disrupted his own life as well as his mother’s.

Nicolas’s condition gradually worsens, and his father is distraught. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the parents disregard the advice of experienced professionals.

An otherwise perfect film is somewhat marred by its ending, when the father, while imagining his son, ponders how Nicolas plans to move in with his partner, Lena. Yet this is precisely the pattern of pathological behavior that increases the risk of relationships breaking down later on and perpetuates a vicious cycle in which children are the primary victims. Premarital abstinence, marital fidelity, Christian values, and sensible dating are the most effective keys to preventing the tragic fates that lie at the heart of this film.

Drama

USA, 2022, 123 min

Cast: Florian Zeller;

Crew: Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Kirby, Laura Dern, Anthony Hopkins, William Hope, Akie Kotabe, Reza Diako, Zen McGrath, Hugh Quarshie, Joakim Skarli, Joseph Mydell;

Parents Guide:

A man living with another woman after his divorce. 1 instance of a low-cut top and 1 instance of a short skirt, or 1 instance of a woman in a tank top. One scene featuring a prolonged kiss between a man and his partner. Self-harm. Suicide attempts. 1 instance of kissing. Calling the father an “asshole.” Calling medical staff, for example, “idiots.” Repeated drinking of hard liquor. Lying to the father and disrespectful behavior toward him. Skipping school. Distorted expressions of love.

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