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Enigmatic and digressive, this mystical potboiler possesses director Werner Herzog's penchant for offbeat atmosphere, but lacks the absurdist humor and profundity that makes his previous trips into madness compelling. Read critic reviews
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My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done Photos
Movie Info
A man experiences mystifying events that cause him to kill his mother with a sword.
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Rating: R (Some Language)
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Genre: Drama, Horror
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Original Language: English
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Director: Werner Herzog
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Producer: Eric Bassett
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Writer: Herbert Golder, Werner Herzog
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Release Date (Theaters): original
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Unified Pictures
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News & Interviews for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
Critic Reviews for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
Audience Reviews for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
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Brad McCullum: Some people act a role, others play a part! "The Mystery Isn't Who. But Why." I really have no idea on what to think of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? It's definitely a weird and interesting film. It has some bizarre performances, especially in the case of Michael Shannon. The film is shot beautifully, and has the stamp of of both Herzog(a good thing) and of Lynch(in my opinion, most of the time, a bad thing). At times the movie is absorbing and you forget that you're actually watching a movie. At other times it began to get very tiresome and I became aware of every second of my life the film was taking up. In the end, it was actually a pretty hard film to get through, which is irritating because I really expected to like it. I love Herzog, and I definitely love the cast of Dafoe, Shannon, and Savigny. Still, I can't say the film is a good one. In fact I'd almost sway to the side of not recommending this to anyone, but I'm sure there are people who will be able to find the masterpiece that is hidden somewhere below the surface. I'm under the impression that it is there, I just couldn't find it. Maybe upon another viewing in the future, I will be able to. Hopefully. It really does have the Lynchian feel to it. Many scenes felt like they had his fingerprints all over them, and that really annoyed me. I don't know for certain that that is true, but just the thought of Lynch having any control over the end product makes me a little nervous. You should know that I really just don't like Lynch. I've seen many of his films and of the ones I've seen, I can only say I like Blue Velvet. So his involvement here just irks me, especially because it compromises the film in my opinion because I could see him wanting at least a decent amount of artistic control. I wish Herzog was the only name selling the film; I think it would have turned out better.
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An unbearably pretentious bore concerning a mentally unstable man (Michael Shannon), convinced he has been spoken to by God, who kills his mother after journeying around the area of Southern California and becoming more detached from society. What sounds like a thrilling, surrealistic probing into a familiar but still fascinating subject falls flat on its face due to a nearly incomprehensible screenplay loaded with weird characters that do not feel natural to the story. David Lynch was clearly brought in here to give some of that Lynch-ian surrealistic atmosphere, but it all feels so fake, hollow, and forced. The acting is the only dependable aspect of this film, where Michael Shannon shines brightly yet again, and Brad Dourif has a memorable cameo although his character doesn't really serve any real purpose to the story. Werner Herzog and David Lynch are two of my favorite film-makers, and the combination of both of their talents should have been a home-run. Instead it's a full, blown-out bore of a movie that is not as eerie or suspenseful as it thinks it is. What a waste.
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In "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done," San Diego Police Detectives Havenhurst(Willem Dafoe) and Vargas(Michael Pena) respond to the scene of a murder. If they want to talk to the suspect, then they should try Brad McCullum(Michael Shannon), the tall guy they just passed with the coffee mug.(Oh and while they're at it, could they find out where he got his coffee?) It seems he killed his mother(Grace Zabriskie) and has now taken hostages. Thankfully, Brad's girlfriend Ingrid(Chloe Sevigny) is on hand to fill in the blanks. "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" is a Werner Herzog film presented by David Lynch and lives up to its promise of craziness enough for me to give it the barest of recommendations. While not much of it makes sense, it allows the filmmakers to fully explore their obsessions, Herzog with insanity, Peru and, well, obsessions while Lynch will always have his coffee. Not that it is relevant, with the exception of Grace Zabriskie, the casting leans towards Lars von Trier territory and Michael Shannon moves another step towards becoming a running joke, as the movie lurches perilously close towards unintentional comedy. If you cannot guess who Brad's hostages are, then you have not been paying attention.
walter m Super Reviewer -
I really like Werner Herzog and David Lynch, two great (some might argue brilliant) directors. So you'd think the combination of the two would yield epic results. Not so much. I'll be the first to admit that I really don't know what the hell this movie was trying to say. There's lots of the Herzog signature randomness, which can sometimes work (like the great Bad Lieutenant), but here a lot of it just seems weird for the sake of weird. Still, I have to admit, Michael Shannon fit the part, whatever that means in this case. On a side note, I loved Brad Dourif's role. He is unquestionably one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. Those of you that doubt me need to check out the exceptional X-Files episode, Beyond the Sea.
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