Divorce dramas have had a sort of resurgence as of late, with some notable entries actually garnering some critical acclaim and awards. So while “Our Son” may operate completely within the confines of its genre, it also operates under the adage of “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While it certainly borrows heavily from things like “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Marriage Story,” it opts to borrow from many of its strengths rather than its weaknesses. Sure, it doesn’t quite reach the effectiveness or staying power of its predecessors, but predictability is only a fault when it fails to carry a voice of its own and treats the audiences like a check the box watchlist.
Thankfully, “Our Son” escapes these trappings, with Luke Evans delivering a unique emotional performance that elevates the rather standard material. It’s queerness is also a new layer to a common story, one that demonstrates that every relationship, regardless of sex or gender or community can struggle and fall apart. It wears it’s heart on its sleeve and though it takes a while to get going and find its footing, powers through to its effective conclusion through committed performances from its leads.
Premiering at the 2023 Tribeca film festival, “Our Son” is directed by Bill Oliver with a screenplay by Oliver and Peter Nickowitz. The film starts Billy Porter and Luke Evans as a married couple raising a son from a surrogate. We meet them right at the start of their crumbling, with Porter’s Gabriel admitting to having an affair and asking for a divorce. Blindsided by this faded love, Evan’s Nicky tries everything to make him stay to no avail. The love is gone, and despite having differing beliefs and wants for family, both decide to fight for full custody of their son. The bitter battle results in some harsh revelations about each man, and forces them to look inward and truly consider what is best for their son and his future.
On paper, this is pretty standard as far as divorce dramas go. Oliver’s choice to drop right smack in the middle of this crumbling marriage without any development before causes the film to struggle to find its footing at the start. We know next to nothing about Gabriel and Nicky when we meet them, so it becomes hard to emotionally invest in their dissolution at first. We know about as much as the synopsis will allow, which forces the film to meander through its tropes for the first act or so. This is where the predictability and genre constraints are the most prevalent, making it challenging to not just choose sides but understand our leads and their motivations quickly. Thankfully, “Our Son” persists as we spend more time with our divorced dads, uncovering who each man is and why they do what the do. Oliver seems intent on demonstrating that no matter how civil or kind of earnest the people involved are, divorce is messy and even messier when children are involved. It is something we can all relate to this and know it on a logical level, but this also puts it on display in a way that layers its devastating effects as we see each man wrestle with the outcomes.
Billy Porter is as committed as ever, and has plenty of time to shine in his work in “Pose.” Porter has had plenty of opportunities to showcase his range and talents both in drama and comedy, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he is up to the task here. The real surprise is Luke Evans, who has never really demonstrated any kind of emotional depth beyond his “stand there and look pretty” kinds of roles. Here, Evans really shows he depth, delivering a heart wrenching turn as the film progresses. Nicky is portrayed as kind of an oblivious antagonist, the typical man’s man who’s so into his work and the idea of providing for his family that he’s lost sight of what that actually means and how to present in his own home. That’s how he starts, and Evans imbues him with introspective depth that shatters this stereotype as he starts to come to terms with his own worldview. “Our Son” is transformed into a compelling divorce drama through the transformation of Evans’ Nicky himself, who slowly becomes the emotional crux of the film and does some truly exceptional work here. If this is the kid of performance that Luke Evans can deliver, then I think its time to give him more opportunities like this one.
While it may not reinvent the wheel, it has layered emotional characters that get more arresting the longer we stick with them mixed with the queer overtones give the film its unique heart at the core. This is a rarely seen side of both marriage and divorce, and once it hits its stride in its second and third acts becomes something that feels worth experiencing. There’s nothing flashy here, and the Nickowitz’ script does lack some depth beyond its somewhat bland and straightforward unfolding. But Porter and Evans committed performances (particularly from Evans) do most of the heavy lifting, and add layers of emotion and heart that may not be there on paper. Divorce sucks no matter who’s getting it; gay, straight, transgender and more all struggle in relationships, and it’s important to remember this. “Our Son” may not be the best example of that, but at least it’s trying and gets there in the end.
My takeaway? Don’t have kids. Get a dog. Cleaner breaks in my opinion and way easier to decide who gets to keep him.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
“Our Son” is playing select theaters December 8th and on VOD December 15th. You can watch the trailer below.
