The Son of Joseph (2016)

A discontented Parisian teenager in search of a father with (Mathieu Amalric) and (Fabrizio Rongione) as his, respectively, callous and gentle alternative paternal options, and (Natacha Régnier) as his single mother.

Director:

Eugène Green

Writer:

Eugène Green (screenplay)

Stars:

Victor Ezenfis, Natacha Régnier, Fabrizio Rongione

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victor Ezenfis	...	Vincent
Natacha Régnier	...	Marie
Fabrizio Rongione	...	Joseph
Mathieu Amalric	...	Oscar Pormenor
Maria de Medeiros	...	Violette Tréfouille
Julia Gros de Gasquet	...	Bernadette (as Julia de Gasquet)
Jacques Bonnaffé	...	Le paysan
Christelle Prot	...	Philomène
Adrien Michaux	...	Philibert
Louise Moaty	...	Comédienne
Claire Lefilliâtre	...	Chanteuse
Vincent Dumestre	...	Théorbiste
Tom Gaspar	...	Premier garçon (as Tom Gaspar-Darmon)
Oleg Ossina	...	Second garçon
Félix Debraux	...	Dean

Storyline

A discontented Parisian teenager in search of a father with (Mathieu Amalric) and (Fabrizio Rongione) as his, respectively, callous and gentle alternative paternal options, and (Natacha Régnier) as his single mother.

---

Plot Keywords:

teenager | donkey | hiding under a couch | written by director | emotionlessness | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

Le rat Gargantua a quitté le tournage en parfaite santé et s'est retiré dans sa villa sur la Côte d'Azur. [In English: The rat Gargantua left the shooting in perfect health and retired to his villa on the French Riviera.]

---

Connections

References Red Desert (1964)

---

Soundtracks

Heth
[Verset: "Seconde die Lectio Prima"]
Composed by Emilio de' Cavalieri
Performed by Le Poème Harmonique: Claire Lefilliâtre (Dessus), Bruno Le Levreur (Countertenor), Serge Goubioud (Tenor), Jan Van Elsacker (Tenor), Philippe Roche (Bass)

User Reviews

Just how seriously are we meant to take this?

The poster shows a woman sitting on a donkey being lead by a man and, in this instance, a boy and with a title like "The Son of Joseph" and characters called Marie and Joseph you might be forgiven for thinking Eugene Green's film is a modern take on the Christ story, (the chapter headings also allude to the Bible). However, the link is a tenuous one at best as young Vincent goes in search of his biological father. With all the characters speaking as if to the beat of a metronome and behaving a little like robots it often feels like a comedy minus the jokes, a parody of French art-house cinema which it may well be since its director is actually American though long domicile in France. Of course, you could take it seriously as some sort of religious allegory, (the clues aren't just all there but very much in your face), ot just enjoy it as some kind of piss-take or just abandon it altogether since, to be honest, it's not all that lively. The choice, as they say, is yours.

Details

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 April 2016 (France)

Also Known As:

The Son of Joseph

Box Office

Gross USA:

$30,588

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,774

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coffee and Films, Les Films du Fleuve, Film Factory

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1