Herzog is two for two with MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE (2009)

Posted by Daniel Metz

I went into this film pretty blind and I was so pleased. This is a magnificent film, and Herzog, after his magnificent The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans, is certainly on fire. Both pictures of his double-whammy are in the top films of the year, and for good reason. Herzog is a fucking genius, and he is directing his actors and his cameramen with the brilliance of an old master.

Usually, old auteurs get crusty and irrelevant. Think Bresson’s L’argent, Renoir’s 1950s work, Fellini’s 1970s and ’80s films, Godard after Alphaville, etc. Herzog is no such old-fogey. He has crafted one of the greatest cinematic representations of madness that I have ever seen. The story is about a matricide and the ensuing showdown outside of the suspect’s house.

One of the more beautiful scenes that demonstrates how crazy the protagonist is; he has gone to Mexico with a dozen prescription eyeglasses...

The suspect, played excellently by Michael Shannon, is a lunatic actor who believes God is the Quaker Oats mascot and who listens to a blues/gospel song as his sermon. His girlfriend, played by the always lovely and charming Chloë Sevigny, tells detective Willem Dafoe (yes, Antichrist’s Willem Dafoe) tales of how crazy he is.

This is basically the plot of the film. Sevigny, joined shortly after by a friend played by Udo Kier, tells weirder and weirder stories about the protagonist as the police try to get him to give up his hostages. Of course, by the way, the hostages are “eagles in drag.” I hope that isn’t a spoiler.

I feel like the supporting cast was hand picked for me; everyone seems to be someone that I loved this year. Willem Dafoe, who I have been seeing a lot of in 2009, is the second lead of the film. I already mentioned how I love Sevigny. The protagonist’s mother is played by Grace Zabriskie, who I adore as the grandmother in “Big Love” as well as in her role as the mother in “Twin Peaks.” Dafoe’s partner is played by Michael Peña, who played the hilarious jewel-and-scene stealing Dennis in Observe and Report. The homophobic mutant chicken raising uncle is played by Brad Dourif, voice of Chucky and bookie from Bad Lieutenant. Can you ask for a more all-star cast of character actors? I cannot.

Who's the cinema artist of this film?

The real treat about this film, though, is the visuals. It is in the aesthetic that you can really see the influence of producer David Lynch. The film is beautiful, and is perhaps the best looking film of the year. This is hard for me to admit, because it was shot…on digital! Nevertheless, the digital look is unique and creates some truly breathtaking effects. Antichrist is another glorious film of 2009, and definitely will be held up as one of the reasons digital may be an acceptable path for talented filmmakers. A very different looking film, My Son also uses digital in an all new way, and it looks fantastic.

There are also great moments of clarity/pause that must be addressed. The lead character believes he is able to capture what he calls “still points,” moments of slowness where he can manipulate time to his advantage. These are materialized in the film in moments of painterly beauty. The actors freeze as if in a stage play, creating a strange living tableaux. These moments are utterly astounding.

The best still point scene; imagine everyone holding theatrically still...

There is a lot more I could say about this film, but I have probably rambled more than I should have as it is. It is a great accomplishment. I’ll leave it at that. Oh, and what ever happened to my basketball?