with his latest movie The sonfilmmaker Florian Zeller he sought to open up “a conversation” around mental health issues that he feels there is too often “shame, guilt and ignorance”. Another key component of the storytelling, here, as in Zeller’s recent Oscar-winning The father — is parenthood and the difficulty of experiencing a feeling of “helplessness” in this area.
The second film in a trilogy based on the works of Zeller, The son tells the story of Peter (Hugh Jackman), whose busy life with his new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and their baby is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife Kate (laura dern) appears with her teenage son, Nicholas (Zen McGrath).
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When Dern first read Zeller’s script, she was quickly drawn to it, particularly since she is also a mother. “East [was] writing that exposes humanity in a way we rarely get. As an actress, it was an incredible gift,” she told Zeller on Saturday at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles awards season event. “[Making this film] It was a truly profound experience not only in human vulnerability, but particularly as a parent, sharing with the parents I was working with the vulnerability of blaming, blaming, shaming, especially around mental health.”
Dern shared during today’s chat at Contenders Los Angeles moderated by Antonia Blyth that Jackman feels that who he is as a father has “changed forever” since the experience of making the film. (The Oscar-nominated actor was scheduled to appear but was forced to pull out of the performance after losing his voice following recent Broadway work. the music man.)
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Dern went on to say that he shares Jackman’s conclusion from the experience, feeling that it made them both more inclined to “listen deeply” before trying to “step in and fix” things for their children.
directed by zeller The son from his and Christopher Hampton’s script. The Venice 2022 title will get a week-long awards qualifier run in New York and Los Angeles on November 25 before opening nationwide on January 20.
Check back on Monday for video of the panel.
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