NOTE: My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done hits UK cinemas on September 10th, and will reach DVD on September 27th.
Werner Herzog follows up his utterly unique Bad Lieutenant revisit with this strange and captivating story. Detective Hank Havenhurst (Willem Dafoe) and his new partner are sent to the scene of a domestic disturbance in San Diego’s suburbs. It seems that aspiring actor Brad Maccallum (Michael Shannon) has killed his mother with an antique sword at a neighbour’s house, then returned home and locked himself in, along with two hostages. Through a series of interviews conducted while the police try to talk Maccallum down, Havenhurst slowly pieces together the events that led to this bizarre situation.
As consistently entertaining as Bad Lieutenant undeniably was, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done both provides an equal measure of enjoyment and feels like the more substantial film. Taking his cue from Greek tragedy, Herzog explores the relationships between life and art, and between individual madness and the absurdity of the world in general. The result is a surprisingly sensitive and often otherworldly experience. The performances are all incredibly distinctive, from Willem Dafoe’s subtly odd turn as Havenhurst to Michael Shannon’s tour de force as Maccallum. And contributing no end to the mood of the piece is Ernst Reijseger’s beautiful and strange score, the perfect complement to the unfolding peculiarity of the tale.
David Lynch acts as executive producer, and the film is almost exactly as you’d expect a collaboration between Lynch and Herzog to turn out. It’s basically a film nerd’s wet dream – but any audience member unfamiliar with the work of either director shouldn’t be put off, because this is as good a place to start as any.
Many of the cast have worked with Lynch before: Willem Dafoe in Wild At Heart, Grace Zabriskie in Twin Peaks and Inland Empire and Brad Dourif in Dune and Blue Velvet. A few sequences particularly tap into the Twin Peaks atmosphere of nameless dread and inexplicable humour. But this is, finally, a Herzog film, with its attendant sense of madness and grandeur and beauty. Herzog skirts ridiculousness throughout, and the film turns out sublime. There are some profoundly emotionally affecting moments, and it’s cerebral enough to invite repeat viewings, something which I can’t wait to indulge in.
Overall Verdict: Herzog releases his second excellent film of 2010 – and it’s even better than the first.
Special Features:
Audio commentary by director Werner Herzog, producer Eric Bassett and screenwriter Herbert Golder
Interview with Werner Herzog including behind-the-scenes footage
Reviewer: Tom René