Mon fils à moi (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Martial Fougeron

Writers:

Florence Eliakim (writer)
Martial Fougeron (writer)

Release Date:

7 March 2007 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Tragedy strikes a young boy and his over-protective mother.

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Psychological Abuse | Psychological Torture | Mother Son Relationship | Mother Child Relationship

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nathalie Baye	...	La mère
Victor Sévaux	...	Julien
Olivier Gourmet	...	Le père
Marie Kremer	...	Suzanne
Emmanuelle Riva	...	La grand mère
Michèle Moretti	...	La proviseur
Valentine Stach	...	Alice
Thomas Silberstein	...	Sam
Nicole Gros	...	La pâtissière
Maxime Monsimier	...	Copain Julien 1
Julien Oracz	...	Copain Julien 2
Ludmila Ruoso	...	Femme policier
Sébastien Guisset	...	Un policier
Esteban Challis	...	Un policier
Olivier Brunet	...	Déménageur piano 1
Patrick Pau	...	Déménageur piano 2

Directed by
Martial Fougeron

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Florence Eliakim		writer
Martial Fougeron		writer

Produced by
Pascal Caucheteux	....	producer
Frédéric Niedermayer	....	producer

Original Music by
Fabrice Dumont
Frédéric Fortuny

Cinematography by
Giorgos Arvanitis

Film Editing by
Laurence Briaud

Casting by
Laure Cochener

Production Design by
Éric Barboza

Costume Design by
Nathalie Raoul

Makeup Department
Cédric Chami	....	key hair stylist
Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Mehdi Baouzzi	....	trainee unit manager
Eve Bruant	....	unit manager
Stéphane Gentien	....	unit manager
Virginie Guillot	....	unit manager
Anouk Halter	....	unit manager
Laurencina Lam	....	post-production manager
Claire Langmann	....	unit production manager
Thibault Leclercq	....	trainee unit manager
Marie-Hélène Ravary	....	trainee unit manager
Monica Taverna	....	unit manager
Isabelle Tillou	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lucie Borleteau	....	trainee assistant director
Dorothée Chesnot	....	second assistant director
Dorothée Chesnot	....	trainee assistant director
Christophe Jeauffroy	....	first assistant director
Lucas Loubaresse	....	temp assistant director
Nicolas Saubost	....	temp assistant director

Art Department
Eleonore Chaspoul	....	assistant art director
Antoine Galinié	....	property master
Florence Locatelli	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Yannick Boulot	....	sound recordist
Olivier Busson	....	boom operator
Jean-Philippe Callet	....	sound recordist
Claire-Anne Largeron	....	sound editor
Olivier Le Vacon	....	sound
Vincent Milner	....	foley artist
Jean-Max Morise	....	post-synchronization
Gréggory Poncelet	....	sound recordist (as Grégory Poncelet)
Benjamin Viau	....	sound mixer

Stunts
Pascal Guégan	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Laurent Bourgeat	....	electrician
Laurent Bourlier	....	key grip
Sébastien Chruscielski	....	grip
Anne Cottreel	....	assistant camera
Laure Gemy	....	first assistant camera
Messaoud Guerib	....	gaffer
Benjamin Lemonnyer	....	trainee electrician
Jean-Claude Lother	....	still photographer
Thibault Richard	....	electrician
Thibaut Richard	....	electrician
Julien Richez	....	second assistant camera
Emmanuel Théry	....	electrician
Augustin Werkoff	....	grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandrine Alabre	....	costumer
Caroline Tavernier	....	chief costumer

Editorial Department
Frédéric Casnin	....	color timer
Alain Guarda	....	color timer
Laure Meynet	....	assistant editor
Giulia Rodino	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Patrick Armisen	....	location scout
Angeliki Arvanitis	....	script supervisor
Agnès Chabot	....	press attache
Roland D'Anna	....	choreographer
Stephen Gregory	....	craft service
Sylvia Pain	....	production administrator
Valérie Plazenet	....	choreographer
Edith Roux	....	location scout

Thanks
Elisabeth Depardieu	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Moby Dick Films
• Why Not Productions (co-production)
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• TPS Star (participation)
• Angoa-Agicoa (with the support of)
• Procirep (with the support of)

Distributors

• Alta Classics S.L. Unipersonal (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Arsenal Filmverleih (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Carmen Films (2007) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Carmen Films (2007) (Ukraine) (theatrical)
• Celluloid Dreams (2007) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cirko Film (2007) (Hungary) (theatrical)
• Mars Distribution (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Homescreen (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• NonStop Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Ercidan  titles and opticals
• Kodak  film stock
• Laboratoires Éclair  laboratory services
• Les Auditoriums de Joinville  sound post-production
• Maratier  armourer

Also Known As:

36, Rue des Acacias (France) (working title)
Je t'aime tant (France) (working title)
Mon fils (France) (working title)

Runtime:

France:79 min | Argentina:79 min

Country:

Belgium | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

France:-12 | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-13 | Argentina:13

Company:

Moby Dick Films

Trivia:

French visa # 109310 delivered on 14-12-2006.

Soundtrack:

Je reviens te chercher

Diabolique, vraiment diabolique!

Turning the page from childhood into adolescence, Julien seems to be a very happy child with lots of things to do. A straight 20 (that's A) student, a football player in the team that is preparing its next championship, a dedicated pupil of his own granny who teaches him piano and loves him dearly; a happy child starting a relationship with a girl at school.

With passionate and memorable performances of all the cast, definitely Nathalie Baye leads the pack with a terrific impersonation of Julien's mother. A pity this time Olivier Gourmet had a small but very effective role as the father. Marie Kremer as Julien's sister is fantastic, but Victor Sévaux as Julien is one of the best roles played by a child I've ever seen. He reminded me the amazing character of Ken Loach's "Kes" or the powerful performance of Christian Bale in "The Empire of the Sun", or, maybe closer in time, Juanjo Ballesta in "El Bola", a film that deals with the subject matter of Mon Fils à Moi.

The script is written in the same vein as some of the Dardenne's brothers films: fast cuts into expressions that tell even the text in the mind of the characters. Mme. Baye's character is mesmerising, to say the least. One difficult role to play as a deranged over-protecting mother that relies in her power to determine her son's fate. Absolutely diabolical and very disturbing.

This is a film that has the power of moving every fibre in your mind and heart, even physically. There is one scene of incredible tension that leads to the not so expected end where you will feel how your heart-rate increases dramatically.

Shot with lots of natural light and intelligent camera angles and movements, it never lets you go. A beautiful, difficult to watch film that will stay with you for a long time... and I mean it, it's just too hard to see when love is turned into slavery and that slavery is justified as love.

These are the kind of films that have a brave approach to difficult subjects and give you the opportunity to discuss it many times.