My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done - "Razzle Dazzle Them."

There’s no rhyme or reason for why I write about certain movies right now. I have plenty of articles planned, but even those are poorly timed. For instance, I’m currently working through every single James Bond movie and plan on ranking each Bond actor’s set of films. But why now? Craig ended his run over nearly two years ago, and who knows when the next Bond will be announced? But it’s what I’m doing because I watched Casino Royale a few weeks ago, and I decided to just keep going. For this article, it was because I came across a YouTube video of Michael Shannon picking out movies from the Criterion Collection’s closet. Anyway, I just felt the need to kind of explain why I write about some of this stuff at seemingly random times.

“Razzle Dazzle Them.”

I first noticed Michael Shannon in Tigerland, and something about the edge in his voice and the intensity of his face has stuck with me ever since. So when I found out he was going to be the star of a Werner Herzog movie, I was very excited. This happened when my love of Herzog was at its apex. I had just gotten into his Kinski movies, and I loved Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (which Shannon also had a small part in). In other words, My Son, My Son came out at the perfect time for me. And the plot, based on the true story of a mentally unstable man who killed his mother with a sword after becoming obsessed with a play (Orestes) he was in, seemed perfect for Shannon’s intensity and Herzog’s dark sense of humor.

This is very much Herzog’s film, but Shannon is the main draw for me. Like most people aware of Shannon, I am a fan of his darker, angrier roles. While he gets to yell all kinds of crazy shit in this movie, it’s actually the more quiet, strange moments that are lasting. Herzog decides a couple times in the film to just bring things to halt and have the characters just exist in the scene, sometimes staring into the camera. It makes no sense, but it’s perfect somehow because Michael Shannon simply staring at you through the screen is effective.

Shannon’s entire performance is surprisingly understated despite the loud moments of the film. Yes, he yells and pivots wildly from emotion to emotion at times. But the moments of his performance that stick with you are when he’s staring off into space, trying to work out what is happening in his head. Playing crazy can be an easy performance for many actors the same way playing a villain can be: you get to be loud and bold. Nuance can go out the window. But a truly great insane performance will feature both. 

As much as I would like to see Michael Shannon marching around a house jabbering away while he holds two flamingos hostage (that is actually a major portion of this movie), it’s the quiet moments with Shannon trying to work out his insanity that stick with me. 

Not as Weird as You’d Think, but Still Pretty Fuckin’ Weird

The true story of this film is enough to make it weird, but when Werner Herzog became attached, this truly became a weird project. Then it became a “David Lynch Presents” film, and my weird expectations went through the roof. But when faced with the crazy possibilities of a Herzog/Lynch team-up for a true story of matricide, the actual project ended up being shockingly coherent.

First off, this is much more faithful to the true story than you might expect, so there is a little devotion to what actually happened. Second, and more importantly, David Lynch was only involved in helping finance the film; he didn’t write anything, and he was never on set. 

I was not disappointed by the lack of Lynch. I like some Lynch, but I’m a bigger fan of Herzog. And it’s not like Herzog has ever been labeled as a normal filmmaker. He’s all the weird I need for a film like this.

Herzog definitely brings some oddness to the film. There are the aforementioned flamingos, and most of Shannon’s dialogue is classic “crazy guy” stuff. Then there are the pauses in which the characters either freeze or just stand there staring at the camera. I found it all to be effective rather than just weird for weird’s sake, however. 

More important than bringing weirdness to the film, Herzog brings his usual dark humor to the project. This is tricky since this is based on a real murder, and it’s in poor taste to make light of that. Thankfully, the humor has nothing to do with the murder. Most of it is just the result of a much needed relief to Shannon’s insane intensity. You need to be able to laugh at some of this stuff or the tension would make it unwatchable. A lot of the humor comes from the idiosyncrasies of Shannon’s performance. But the comedic heavy lifting falls on Dafoe and Michael Peña as the detectives responding to the murder. 

They feel like they’re in a different movie that collided with this one. Dafoe’s straightforward handling of all the crazy shit going on makes for some funny moments. And Peña plays an overzealous rookie who tries multiple times to do some stupid shit, like lacing a pizza with sleeping pills or offering himself up as a hostage, and he gets shut down immediately. 

If you don’t like this movie (first off, how and why the fuck did you find this article?), then it probably seems like I’m trying to make excuses to like this movie. Because, typically, when two characters seem to be in a different movie than the main character, that would be a problem. But I sincerely believe that Herzog is going for some absurdity of life shit here, and I find it more funny than baffling. 

I like weird movies as much as anyone (and I know it’s lazy to keep referring to this film, and Herzog and Lynch films in general, as “weird,” but I am lazy, so there), but there has to be some enjoyment involved, as well. When David Lynch goes all in, like with Inland Empire, it’s just not for me. It’s too inaccessible. So the “David Lynch Presents” being a bit of a misrepresentation was a relief to me, while I imagine others were disappointed that the movie was surprisingly straightforward. But I prefer Werner Herzog’s type of weird, and there’s plenty of it in My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done.

Random Thoughts / Favorite Quotes

“And Brad Dourif as Uncle Ted” is one of my favorite “And”s in recent memory.

Don’t know why, but a disgruntled Michael Shannon sitting at a drum set he refuses to play makes me laugh.

“He’s claiming his name is Farouk. He shouts about God and tosses oatmeal at us.”

I’m not sure any actor can transition from rage to gentleness in the same scene as convincingly as Shannon.

“This Jell-O looks hideous.”

If you only watch one movie in which an ostrich tries to eat Udo Kier’s glasses, make it this one.

No way would I drive Michael Shannon around while he’s holding a fucking sword and quoting the Bible.

It’s nice that the movie has a few moments when the actors stand still, sometimes looking directly into the camera, that give you a chance to decide if you want to keep watching this wacky shit.

So Brad Dourif had a plan: he would buy a tiny horse (think Lil’ Sebastian from Parks and Rec), which a little person would ride, and his giant chicken, Willard, would chase the horse around the biggest tree in the world. This was going to be a commercial, though Dourif doesn’t know for what, but it would make a “lot of money.” I watch a lot of weird shit, so I’m pretty used to the idea that creative people come up with some nonsensical shit. But this is one of those rare moments that make me stop and wonder, “How the fuck did someone actually come up with this scene?”

According to Wikipedia, Herzog and Shannon went to China to film a scene in a market without permits, and the scene has nothing to do with the story aside from it being a scene in which Shannon’s character feels uneasy. This is the kind of nonsense that makes me love Herzog.

IMDb claims Dave Bautista is one of the SWAT guys at the end, but I couldn’t spot him.  

"My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done"

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done - Directed by Werner Herzog, written by Herbert Golder and Werner Herzog, starring Michael Shannon, Udo Kier, Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, and Brad Dourif - Rated R

"So What? So What? So What!?"

Let me start this review by saying that I am an unabashed Werner Herzog fan. I absolutely love films like Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo. Herzog’s last film, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, was a weird and amazing film. If you thought that was weird, wait to you see My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. My Son is a film about one man’s descent into madness and the film itself is quite strange.

This film, strange as it is, is actually based on a true story. I suppose this paragraph counts as a SPOILER, so if you want to watch this movie fresh I would suggest skipping to the next paragraph. My Son is based on the story of Mark Yavorsky, who was in a production of a matricidal Greek play. He took his role a bit too seriously and ended up killing his mother with a sword. Okay, that’s messed up already, and that’s the true story this film is based on. Herzog and co-writer Herbert Golder managed to amp up the insanity.

My Son stars Michael Shannon, the go-to crazy man of late, as Brad (still based on Mark Yavorsky, just a name change). After his performances in Bug and Revolutionary Road, he really is the perfect choice to play an insane character. Even though madness is nothing new for Shannon, he manages to give his most impressive performance yet. Just look at the poster; this man is capable of conveying such intensity through a stare alone. Throw in some absurd dialogue and you have a great chaotic performance.

Crazy is interesting enough, but it’s nothing new. My Son stands out because of Herzog’s filmmaking. His meandering camerawork fits in beautifully with the strangeness. The camerawork is reminiscent of Bad Lieutenant, so that’s not groundbreaking. What stands out, however, are the still scenes. By still I don’t mean that Herzog freezes the scene. I mean that he asks the actors to be as still as possible while he continues to film. It actually works quite well and these scenes are what stood out to me. And I must say, it takes guts for a director to ask actors to stand completely still for an extended amount of time in a scene in which an actress is holding a plate of Jell-o. I am not joking…that scene exists, and I loved it.

Herzog didn’t just make a crazy film, though. He made a beautiful film. The scenes in Peru reminded me of his earlier work in the jungle. The images of Michael Shannon standing at the banks of a rushing river and at the base of mountainous cliffs were amazing. Some of the shots in California were beautiful as well and Herzog found some interesting architecture to shoot, too. This film may be head scratching to some, but no one can deny that it looks great throughout.

Beautiful images and Michael Shannon’s crazed stare are interesting and all, but it takes more than that to make a great film. Thankfully, My Son has a great supporting cast. Willem Dafoe and Michael Peña get to play the clichéd detectives in an interesting counter to Brad’s insanity. Chloë Sevigny also tries to keep things sane as Brad’s fiancé. But it’s the other slightly off-balance characters that stand out. (Though to be fair, Dafoe always seems a little off-balanced.) Udo Kier is entertaining as a theatre director. His voice alone adds a little something to a movie. I always imagine that Herzog casts Kier when he cannot perform the role himself because Kier has a voice that rivals Herzog’s when it comes to insane sincerity. There is no humor in it, but you still have to laugh at times. Brad Dourif also makes a strange appearance as an ostrich farmer with some very grand and weird ideas. His presence alone makes the film a bit more interesting. But it’s Grace Zabriskie as Brad’s mother who impressed me the most. As the overbearing mother she is completely impressive through her facial gestures alone. At times, she looked even crazier than Brad. It really created the idea that Brad may have gone crazy because of his mother, even if that idea was not on the page.

On top of all the insanity of the film, there is actually quite a bit of humor. Perhaps it isn’t intentional, but if you watch it I imagine you’ll agree that some of this must have been meant to produce a laugh or two. Even if it isn’t intentional, it’s still great. The scenes with Dourif are quite funny and a lot of Brad’s random lines cracked me up throughout. A movie about a man going insane has to have a little bit of humor.

This isn’t a comedy, though. I laughed, sure, but it was more of a disturbing look at madness more than anything. That concept is driven home by the score. It may be a bit overbearing at times but it was unsettling throughout and that’s the point. The music places you in an unstable mind frame, which is exactly what you need to be in while watching this film.

The movie could possibly be off putting in its slow, strange style, but I found it completely engrossing. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen it, but it hasn’t left my thoughts. I keep thinking about it and I can’t wait to see it again. If a movie has that effect on me, then I have to get behind it and promote it as much as possible.

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done is all over the place with the crazed performances, the random dialogue, the haunting score, and the beautiful images. It’s a strange mess of a film that somehow turned into a film that I absolutely love. I can say that this is going into my top ten of the year without a doubt, but it is out there and some people might find it stupid and boring. I think it’s worth checking out, though. If you like Herzog and you’re looking for something a bit more interesting than the mainstream has to offer, then watch this as soon as possible.