Father and Son 2003 | Boys in movies [BiM]

Father and Son (2003)

– Father and Son 2003
– Otets i syn (original title)
– 1h 37 min. | Drama | 12 September 2003 (Russia)

Storyline:

A father and his son live together in a rooftop apartment. They have lived alone for years in their own private world, full of memories and daily rites. Sometimes they seem like brothers. Sometimes even like lovers. Following in his father’s path, Aleksei attends military school. He likes sports, tends to be irresponsible and has problems with his girlfriend. She is jealous of Aleksei’s close relationship with his father. Despite knowing that all sons must one day live their own lives, Aleksei is conflicted; his father knows he should accept a better job in another city, perhaps search for a new wife, but who will ease the pain of Aleksei’s nightmares?

User review:

The film opens with the image of two male bodies in bed, their naked bodies intertwined in a rapturous embrace. One is breathing rapidly; the other is trying to comfort him. We think these must be gay lovers, but soon discover that it is a father comforting his son after a nightmare.

Father (Andrei Shetinin) and son (Alexei Nejmyshev) live together on the top floor of an apartment house and have done so for many years since the death of their mother. Their world looks like a sanctuary but may be a prison. It was while attending a school for air cadets that the father met his wife and bore his son, now 20. His son’s physical appearance reminds the father of his late wife and their bond is intense and emotional. Alexei attends military school like his father who left military service against his will and wants his son to pick up where he left off. He has a girlfriend but there is a distance between them. She is jealous of his relationship with his father that to her appears overprotective and he does not want to give up his father’s closeness.

Alexei’s father is conflicted about looking for a job in a different city and seeking a new wife. They must decide whether to continue their lives together or independently. The struggle for freedom and independence is mutual but they are held together by a transcendent love. Father and Son is an enigmatic but deeply poetic film about the complex bond that a son has with his father. While the film is open to interpretation from different cultural, psychological, or religious points of view (the film says, `A father who loves his son crucifies him. A son who loves his father sacrifices himself for him’), for me, the best approach is to avoid the temptation to analyze and just bathe in the warmth of its loving glow.

Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Writer: Sergei Potepalov
Stars: Andrei Shchetinin, Aleksei Neymyshev, Aleksandr Razbash
Countries of origin: Russia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, France
Language: Russian
Also known as: Father and Son
Filming locations: Lisbon, Portugal.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363249/