THE OTHER SON

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3.5 stars
Imagine that everything you have ever known is taken away: your family, your identity, your religion, your country. It's the starting point for this arresting drama about two families in Israel whose lives are tipped upside down when a medical exam reveals that a teenage boy's parents aren't actually his parents. Accidentally switched at birth during an emergency evacuation from Haifa, Joseph and Yacine find they've not so much lost their identity but gained another. Question is, do they want it?

The Other Son is a not particularly subtle parable about the occupation and how cultural divides can be bridged, God willing. Both Joseph and Yacine's families (one Israeli, one Palestinian) are forced to face decades of stereotyped expectation when they discover that, if not the enemy exactly, one of 'them' has been sheltering under their roof. The men are naturally distrustful of their new sons (Joseph's military father wrestles with the potential terrorist in his midst) while tearful women bear the confusion and shame like adults. Yacine's brother Bilal is the angriest until director Lorraine Levy has them all walk a mile in another's shoes with predictable, yet hopeful, results.

Heavy on visual exposition, light on narrative drive, The Other Son works best in detail: a Rabbi's sudden denouncement of Joseph's Jewishness (“it's not a belief, it's a state”) is as telling as Yacine's young sister's enthusiastic acceptance of her new brother. Despite some rather contrived moments, particularly Bilal's emotional u-turn and Joseph's musical ability being a 'family thing', the heartfelt sincerity of the story offers a rare and uplifting glimpse into the struggle, and otherwise normal lives caught on both sides of the fence. An intimate portrait which is served well by its likeable cast, The Other Son is a certifiable crowd pleaser.

// COLIN FRASER

Previewed at the Verona Cinema, Sydney on Tuesday 31st July, 2012
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STUFF

CAST
Emmanuelle Devos
Pascal Elbé
Jules Sitruk
Mehdi Dehbi

DIRECTOR
Lorraine Levy

SCREENWRITER
Lorraine Levy
Noam Fitoussi

COUNTRY
France (subtitles)

CLASSIFICATION
M

RUNTIME
105 minutes

AUSTRALIAN
RELEASE DATE
April 18, 2013
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Unfinished Song (2012) on IMDb
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Stacks Image 56