Son

‘Son’ is not just my most recent film, but also an immensely personal project for me, as the story was based off the experience my own father went through. Like the protagonist in this story, my dad never had a loving or present father figure in his life, and he showed me how important it was to him that he do what his own dad never could: be there for his son. This message alone injected me with an unrivalled need to tell the story of fatherhood, and how a father’s battle to be a part of his son’s life is a hidden struggle that must be showcased. I wanted to explore a story that tackled three generations of men, and how their actions had dramatic knock-on effects through the bloodline.

Our protagonist, John, was a fascinating character to write and develop. On the surface, he was an insecure father who wanted nothing more than to be there for his son. However, it is the underlying subtext that John is making up for his own childhood neglect, fearing history will repeat himself with his son, Oli, that I found incredibly fascinating to explore. I wanted to turn delve into the vulnerabilities and intricacies of a middle-aged father’s life, aiming to inject something new into the drama genre.

This film was so important for me to make not just because it originated from a personal experience, but also because I was desperate to explore something fresh and interesting within the genre It lives in. I wanted to avoid leaning into tropes and cliches, hoping to delve into the complexities of fatherhood in a focused and moving way that would set itself apart from similar stories from its genre.