Yes, it’s true, back to the Riverside for the first time in three years to see & Sons. As usual, we were drawn by the cast rather than the story arc, as we knew little of its premise or the book upon which it is based. But, it had an ensemble cast headed by Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton, which is attraction enough for me
Nighy plays the reclusive novelist whose estranged sons are called to meet him after he becomes convinced he is about to die. The father is, in essence, a cantankerous old literary lion revered throughout the world for the brilliant novels of his youth, who has published nothing for years and is now marooned like a bearded, drunken hermit in his huge Oxfordshire mansion, boozing and playing his jazz records all day (and night).
The film is entirely dependent on a giant plot twist, which is sadly rather implausible and strangely uncompelling even if taken at face value, and which tends to undermine the emotional reality of the whole film and its big confrontation scenes. I think this is primarily because, having introduced such an unlikely scenario, the film doesn’t satisfactorily flesh out its claims to the truth, or its implications as fiction – and whilst I won’t reveal the plot twist to avoid spoilers, trust me, it did really need a little more analytical component rather than the sombre depiction about ageing, which is done better elsewhere. The performances are all fine, although I would argue that in this particular film, Staunton outshines them all and provides a grounding to a film which still has insufficient depth.
So, although we weren’t sorry we went and the ensemble cast was first class, I would contend that if you want a film that has real depth and feeling then we need to go all the way back to Amour in 2012 (my, oh my, really!!) to see a master at work. Obviously, you may have a conflicting view as opinions can differ – but I am of course right…..👌👊