Your Son (Tu Hijo) Review – A Complete Misfire

BOTTOM LINE: A complete misfire

Rating: 1.25/5

What is the Story about?

The world of top-notch doctor Jaime Jiménez and his family tumbles overnight, as the doctor’s son Marcos, severely injured in a brawl near a bar, slips into coma. Taking up his role as a protective father rather seriously, Jaime leaves no stone unturned to find the perpetrators who had caused harm to his son. There’s no favourable response from the cops in their pursuit of nabbing the culprits behind the incident. A frustrated Jaime decides to take law into his own hands and unravels the clues leading to the fateful night one by one. It seems like Jaime’s daughter Sara and Andrea (Marcos’ former girlfriend) are up to something too. Jaime is hellbent upon teaching the culprits a lesson. How far will he go?

Performances?

Jose Coronado as Jaime Jiménez gets the lion’s share in terms of screen space, though he’s not as impactful for the footage he’s provided. His expressions are extremely repetitive; Jose’s acting mettle shows some promise in the film’s initial portions, but it doesn’t substantiate the vengeful motive of his character adequately at all. Though the writing deserves the major blame here, Jose’s acting too doesn’t rise much above the film’s problematic script.

Direction By Miguel Ángel Vivas?

Spanish filmmaker and television writer Miguel Ángel Vivas, popular for his crime thrillers, directs Your Son. By all means, this is a massive misfire from him. For a film that identifies itself as a thriller, the story has no flesh in it, moves at an extremely sluggish pace and hardly has anything riveting or engaging about the narrative. The sketchy detailing about the crime and the complete absence of tension or drama, make it a tiresome viewing. The sequence where the father gets hold of the video of the attack and yet not sharing it to his mobile is totally blasphemous.

Besides, the director’s fetish for leisurely-paced sequences is obvious, but what’s the use of the screen-time if it doesn’t any value to the story or builds a right atmosphere for storytelling? This is a shame because the intent of the film, to mirror a father’s fight to protect his family honour regardless of law, truth or dire sequences, is one with a universal appeal. Had the film been raw and gripping, it would have served as an adequate reflection of the life the elites live in any metropolitan. As of now, the lazy writing, execution work well like a dose of anaesthesia that puts you to sound sleep.

Others Artists?

There are only fleeting glimpses of Pol Monen in the role of the injured son Marcos, and he’s passable as long as he lasts. There’s a mysterious quality about Asia Ortega as a performer (who plays the role of Sara-Jaime’s daughter) and it’s exactly the trait her role in the film demands, although she deserved a better script to showcase her calibre. Ester Expósito’s presence is minimal in her portrayal of Marcos’ girlfriend Andrea. She rings in a critical twist to the story and despite her delayed entry, Ester rightly brings tension to her sequences with her apt expressions.

Music and other departments?

The composer Fernando Vacas impresses more with his smart use of silence than music. Of the very few sequences that create some tension in the proceedings, Fernando’s role is vital in them. After all, there’s little he can do to repair the uninspiring material. The writing (by Alberto Marini and Miguel Ángel Vivas) is redundant and is a major reason, the film falls apart. Though the climactic twist is interesting, it comes too late to resurrect the narrative. It’s apparent that the film is shot on a moderate budget despite the cinematographer Pedro J. Márquez’s best efforts to conceal the production limitations.

Highlights?

Performances by the supporting cast
An interesting twist in the climax

Drawbacks?

Poor direction
Terrible, redundant screenplay
Extremely sluggish narrative with no highs/lows

Will you recommend it?

No

Your Son (Tu Hijo) Review by Srivathsan Nadadhur