On the strength of his 2020 Oscar win, playwright-turned-helmer Florian Zeller assembles a stellar cast — including newcomer Zen McGrath — to explore another dimension of mental health in “The Son,” which opens at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Jan. 20.
Continuing is “The Broker.”
“The Son” is a cautionary tale that follows a family as it struggles to reunite after falling apart. The film centers on Peter (Hugh Jackman), whose hectic life with his infant and new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby) is upended when his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) appears at his door to discuss their son Nicholas (Zen McGrath), who is now a teenager. The young man has been missing school for months and is deeply troubled. Peter strives to take care of Nicholas as he would have wanted his own father (Anthony Hopkins) to have taken care of him while juggling his and Beth’s new son, and at work an offer of a dream position in Washington. However, by reaching for the past to correct its mistakes, he loses sight of how to hold onto Nicholas in the present.
“The Son” which is rated PG-13 for suicide, strong language and mature thematic content, is showing through Feb. 2.
“Broker” follows two brokers who sell orphaned infants, circumventing the bureaucracy of legal adoption, to affluent couples who can’t have children of their own. After an infant’s mother surprises the duo by returning to ensure her child finds a good home, the three embark on a journey to find the right couple, building an unlikely family of their own. The film skirts the edges of sentimentality, but is consistently grounded by director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s warm, tenderly melancholic approach.
“Broker,” which is rated R for language, is showing through Jan. 26.
Learn more about the films, including show times and ticket availability.
