The Son is a 2022 drama film directed by Florian Zeller from a screenplay by him and Christopher Hampton. It is based on Zeller's 2018 stage play of the same name and serves as a follow-up to 2020's The Father. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby, Zen McGrath, Hugh Quarshie, and Anthony Hopkins. The Son had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 7 September 2022. It is scheduled to be released by Sony Pictures Classics for a limited one-week theatrical run in New York City and Los Angeles on 25 November 2022, before releasing in the United States on 20 January 2023. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Jackman, Dern & Kirby, but criticized Zeller’s direction, the screenplay, McGrath’s performance, and the portrayal of depression. Premise. A couple of years after his parents’ divorce, 17-year-old Nicholas no longer feels he can stay with his mother, Kate. He moves in with his father Peter and Peter’s new partner Beth. Juggling work, his and Beth’s new baby, and the offer of his dream job in Washington, Peter tries to care for Nicholas as he wishes his own father had cared for him. But by reaching for the past to correct its mistakes, he loses sight of how to hold onto the Nicholas in the present. — Sony Pictures Classics