Nearly two decades ago, an incident shattered a family and now the patriarch – a feted, but ailing author – is intent on making good before he drops off the mortal coil. Forever sickly, stumbling about, popping pills and turning to the bottle, his name is Andrew Dyer (Bill Nighy). He lives a reclusive life in an old mansion in the country, aided by a devoted housekeeper, Gerde (Anna Geislerová).
With him, when he is not at boarding school, is his 17-year-old son Andy (Noah Jupe). His father’s recalcitrant ways are the source of great frustration for Andy. But after an ugly incident at an old friend’s funeral (truth be told, he no longer has any friends), Andrew has a reckoning. He calls for his other children to come together at his home.
So arrives his eldest, Jamie (George MacKay), now five years sober, along his own son, Emmett (Arthur Conti), who live in New York. So too Andrew’s other son, Richard (Johnny Flynn), who lives with his mother (Andrew’s ex-wife Isabel Platt – Imelda Staunton). None of the children, and that includes Andy, have ever been able to wipe the stain of their father from who they are. The legacy appears particularly harsh on Jamie, who has struggled to forge his own career as a writer.
The family split was triggered by an affair that Andrew had, which resulted in Andy’s birth and Isabel leaving him. It turns out that Andrew wants to explain what was behind it to Jamie and Richard, without Andy ever finding out. His explanation, which has to do with hubris, is a corker. Will that see him rest in peace and Jamie, Richard and Isabel accept it for what it is or is it too much a step off the deep end?
Based on a novel of the same name by David Gilbert and written by Sarah Polley and director Pablo Trapero, & Sons is an exploration of the human condition. Specifically, it is about love in its most broken form. That incorporates identity, family, legacy, vanity and exploitation.
Bill Nighy is known for throwing himself headlong into characterisations and so it is here. He inhabits the screen like an unmade bed, lurching perilously from scene to scene. In his wake is the chaos his character has left behind. So it is that George MacKay as Jamie, Johnny Flynn as Richard and Noah Jupe as Andy inhabit that struggle. Pieces of them are broken and the actors showcase that through the anger, loathing and frustration inherent in their performances. Imelda Staunton and Anna Geislerová also have important roles to play in making sense of the narrative.
& Sons asks the audience to swallow a brave new world, which I dare say some will find easier to do than others. Providing unrelenting drama, rated M, it scores a 7 out of 10.
Alex First
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Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
