Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Your Son’ On Netflix, A Sometimes Brutal Spanish Thriller That Twists Tight The Screws Of Suspense

Fatherhood. It can inspire behavior that can be, shall we say, out of character for some. Netflix film Your Son explores just that, wrapping a rumination on fatherhood inside a suspenseful revenge thriller. From Spanish director Miguel Angel Vivas, the movie is a genre film with visual and thematic ambition — a welcome, growing trend of the past few years.

YOUR SON: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Jaime Jimenez (Jose Coronado) is a skilled surgeon who, in the film’s opening scenes, saves the life of an eight-year-old boy. His ability to wield that power only amplifies the feeling of helplessness he soon experiences. Jaime bursts into the operating room, but is sent away because the patient on the table is his teenage son, Marcos (Pol Monen). Once steady, Jaime’s hands are now jittery.

Lying comatose, Marcos was brutally beaten outside a nightclub, and the perpetrators are still loose. Angry, grief-stricken and desperate, Jaime opens the proverbial can of worms, and you might not be surprised to learn that he struggles mightily to cram them back in. He plays private detective, questioning Marcos’ friends and ex-girlfriend (Ester Exposito), trying to piece together the events of the fateful evening. Next thing you know, he prowls the streets at night like an amateur Travis Bickle, stalking a teen motorcyclist to a party rife with reckless youth.

Understandably, Jaime’s home life is a shambles. His wife Carmen (Ana Wagener) quietly despairs. He finds their daughter Sara (Asia Ortega) at the aforementioned party, and she points out a harsh truth: Jaime is so outside of himself since the tragedy occurred, he hasn’t shed a single tear.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Vivas has impeccable taste in influences: There’s some Death Wish in the Jaime character, a little bit of Taxi Driver in its uneasy vibe and lots of Drive in its neon-nighttime visual panache. It sometimes recalls a good, sturdy Liam Neeson thriller (Taken, Non-Stop, et al.). Vivas also has a knack for generating the type of intensity that makes us feel like our guts are being gnawed by a crocodile, similar to the work of Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room, Blue Ruin).

Performance Worth Watching: Coronado is in every scene of Your Son. He plays Jaime as an intriguing blend of transparent desperation and opaque motivation. When he’s terrified, we still sense the confidence beneath. When he’s surprising us with his ability to play hardball, we still sense his trepidation. It’s a terrifically complex performance, and not a moment passes where you won’t buy it.

Memorable Dialogue: “A father can’t do nothing.” These words are spoken by the eight-year-old boy’s ruffian dad, inspiring Jaime to reach deep inside himself and find something disconcertingly dark.

Single Best Shot: In a nearly three-minute shot, Vivas holds on Jaime as he parks his car smack in the middle of a street party, and waits behind the wheel. A variety of colors illuminate his face. He’s insulted and harassed by thuggish young men. The lack of cuts creates a breathless quality that amplifies the suspense, a technique Vivas employs several times throughout the film.

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: The slippery slope of moral compromise courses beneath Your Son‘s surface-level intensity. One troubling decision leads to another, to another, to another, and there’s a point where we wonder if we should get off the Jaime sympathy train, or cheer him on. Vivas — who co-scripted the film with Alberto Marini — also prompts us to wonder if, and how far, he’s willing to take the story off the rails. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s always gripping, and occasionally extraordinary.

Our Call: STREAM IT. (But only if you can stomach it.)

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Your Son on Netflix