My Son (2021) is a mystery thriller about a divorced father trying to deal with the situation of his son going missing. I love James McAvoy and Claire Foy, so seeing them starring in a movie together made me curious to check this out, and also apparently the fact that McAvoy wasn't given a script or dialogues and instead improvised throughout the movie.
Now, it's not a groundbreaking achievement in filmmaking or anything like that, or at least I didn't feel it. The way the movie is penned and directed, McAvoy's improvisation doesn't really stand out even if the performances from both the main actors were strong, especially McAvoy's but that's hardly a surprise since he's good-great in pretty much everything I've seen him in.
It's slowly paced but it's also short so it doesn't get boring and there are sections that are thrilling or tense as you do start to care for the main character but they are too few and far between. Since you're going through the story from the father's POV, when things get interesting, you're strapped up for the ride but the movie hardly touches on the plot points it sets up as the story unfolds and just sorta wraps it up, which leaves you wanting for more.
It sure does look pretty, fully utilizing the Scotland Highlands in its cinematography (I hope I can visit it one day). The soundtrack was also pleasing and fitted the mood/tone.
Overall, My Son is a small mystery thriller that didn't give me enough for me to say it's particularly good but at the same time, it had enough material in it for it to be a passable watch. Give it a shot if you're curious or are a fan of James McAvoy. And if I were to rate it, I'd give it a 6/10.
