You Will Be My Son - 4 smiles

“You Will Be My Son” begins as a domestic drama set at a family-owned vineyard and slowly morphs into a tense thriller. French director and co-writer Gilles Legrand shows great mastery of tone and pacing with a clear sense of foreboding at the start. Death appears everywhere, from the stark opening image of a coffin entering a crematorium to the daily discarding of grapes that don’t make the grade. At its core, though, Legrand’s film is about fathers and sons and the power of passing down a legacy. Niels Arestrup gives a commanding performance as Paul de Marseul, the respected veteran winemaker in charge of the estate. His wines are renowned worldwide for their quality, thanks in large part to a 40-year partnership he’s had with his quietly loyal vineyard manager, François (Patrick Chesnais). But when Paul learns that François is suffering from pancreatic cancer and doesn’t have much longer to live, he must make plans to continue the business. It seems natural that Paul would pass along François’ responsibilities to his own son, Martin (Lorant Deutsch), but it’s clear from the start that Paul has nothing but disdain for his only child. Martin seems quite capable of running the administrative side of the business and he has a happy marriage with beautiful and strong Alice (Anne Marivin). Martin is eager to step up, but Paul is determined to keep him in his place. Enter Philippe (Nicolas Bridet), François’ son, who’s everything Martin is not: good looking, stylish, suave and worldly. It’s clear that Paul sees in Philippe the son he wished he had and François becomes mistrustful of Paul’s intentions after decades of stoic service to this man.

Legrand tells a tale of Greek tragedy proportions, especially with the formidable Arestrup’s towering presence at its center. Paul is clearly a terrible human being, selfish, soulless and manipulative. The supporting performances are equally effective, with Deutsch movingly conveying Martin’s mounting anguish and Chesnais delivering a subtle turn as a father fighting for the soul of his son. Legrand takes advantage of the beauty of the French region of Saint Emilion and he clearly loves wine himself. He takes great care to make the texture of the soil seem tangible and to show the rich hue of an especially spectacular bottle that’s been pulled with pride from the cellar.  You’ll want to have a glass of wine after as you discuss the merits of “You Will Be My Son.” Subtitles. 9/13/13