My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009)

Inspired by a true crime, a man begins to experience mystifying events that lead him to slay his mother with a sword.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers:

Herbert Golder, Werner Herzog

Stars:

Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Shannon	...	Brad Macallam
Willem Dafoe	...	Detective Hank Havenhurst
Chloë Sevigny	...	Ingrid Gudmundson
Udo Kier	...	Lee Meyers
Michael Peña	...	Detective Vargas
Grace Zabriskie	...	Mrs. Macallam
Brad Dourif	...	Uncle Ted
Irma P. Hall	...	Mrs Roberts (as Irma Hall)
Loretta Devine	...	Ms Roberts
Gabriel Pimentel	...	Little Man
Braden Lynch	...	Gary
James C. Burns	...	Brown
Noel Arthur	...	Naval Guard
Julius Morck	...	Phil (as Julius Mørck)
Fred Parnes	...	Male Bystander

Storyline

The police are called to a murder scene and quickly discover that the murderer, the victim's son, is holed up in his house with two hostages. Through a series of interviews with both the murderer's fiancée and his theatre director the police piece together a picture of a man losing touch with reality.

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Plot Keywords:

police | murder | sword | hostage | play | 

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Taglines:

The Mystery Isn't Who. But Why.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 2010 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Dans l'oeil d'un tueur

Filming Locations:

Point Loma, San Diego, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Defilm, Industrial Entertainment, Paper Street Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the cast and crew on The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans reunited with director Werner Herzog to produce this film. Major examples include actors Michael Shannon, Brad Dourif and Irma P. Hall, cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger, and editor Joe Bini.

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Goofs

In the escalator scene, which takes place in Calgary but which was filmed at the San Diego Convention Center, one can clearly see a row of palm trees outside.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Detective Vargas: Do you want me to take the wheel Hank?
Detective Hank Havenhurst: No, no - it's no problem. I've driven halfway across the country with one hand.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Movie Review: My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Heaven on Earth"
Written by Ernst Reijseger
Performed by The Ernst Reijseger Ensemble

User Reviews

Reeks of Lynch, in a good way.

Please, don't listen to the under-educated reviews; "David Lynch never set foot in the studio". Regardless of whether or not David Lynch had his hands in this film, it shines with his awkward characterization. For those who are familiar with David Lynch's works, specifically Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, you know that he likes to make social situations very awkward and uncomfortable. Any given Twin Peaks episode felt like there were a herd of elephants in the room for every scene.

I would go as far as to say that this is a modern episode of Twin Peaks. Granted Herzog was in control; Lynch fans won't be disappointed. The acting is brilliant; and THE SCORE! Dear God the score is wonderful. Foreboding, intriguing, smooth at times, and critically dissonant at others.

Worth your time.