A sheltered kid cons his way into a sick day. Left alone for the first time, he stumbles upon a sinister family secret.
As kids we always hoped to find secret compartments and doors hidden in our parent’s house, but did we ever think of what might be inside? What if it’s something you don’t want to see? ‘Son’ takes us to this secret place, and shows us that secrets are kept silent for a reason.
I feel that each viewer experiences the film differently by the way they perceive it. And I’ve always preferred movies that leave space for the audience to pick and choose what clues to focus on as they go. I think it forces the audience to be an active participant in the experience and makes it more enjoyable for them. When I watch something where everything is spelled out for me, more often than not, I stop caring.
Director Judd Myers hopes that each viewer has their own unique experience and walk away with plenty to think about and discuss with their friends, but most importantly, that it leaves them wanting more.
We made the film as cheaply as possible, writing for one location with minimal characters, and calling in a ton of favors for free gear, cast, and crew. These limitations forced us to get more creative. What seems problematic at first can work in your favor if you take a different approach. For instance, we had a script on our hands that was more or less a silent film, with a character all alone in an empty house for the majority of the film. Sounds boring, right? Well not if you view it as an interesting challenge.
Judd obviously has an inspiration for filmmakers that work in the realm of pure cinema, the ones that use as little dialogue as possible and tell their stories through performance, visuals, and sound. Brian De Palma was a master of this and Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” is obviously a big influence.
So instead of throwing the script out the window, we tried to turn our weakness into a strength by creating something that relies less on people talking and more on atmosphere, mystery, and sustaining a tone that will hold the audience in state of constant anticipation, waiting to see what will happen next.
‘Son’ sets out many examples that we try to put out to the younger (and older) filmmakers, where restraints should be used to enhance the film in certain areas. Judd did this by exploring his possibilities and pushed creativity in the areas it was accessible.