The Other Son (2012)
Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 48
Fresh: 38 | Rotten: 10
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 20
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 5
No consensus yet.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 6,044
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Movie Info
"The Other Son" is the moving and provocative tale of two young men -- one Israeli, the other Palestinian -- who discover they were accidentally switched at birth, and the complex repercussions facing them and their respective families. (c) Cohen Media
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Cast
-
Emmanuelle Devos
Orith -
Pascal Elbé
Alon -
Jules Sitruk
Joseph -
Mehdi Dehbi
Yacine -
Areen Omari
Leila -
Khalifa Natour
Said -
Mahmood Shalabi
Bilal -
Diana Zriek
Amina -
Marie Wisselmann
Keren -
Bruno Podalydès
David -
Ezra Dagan
Rabbi -
Tamar Shem Or
Yona -
Tomer Ofner
Ilan -
Noa Manor
Ethel -
Shira Naor
Lisa
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All Critics (48) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (10)
A humane but emotionally anemic message movie whose dramatic craft doesn't live up to its good intentions.
Top CriticLévy generally succeeds in creating a compelling, humanistic family drama, even if some viewers may reject the movie's final note of optimism.
In the end, it seems, this is not a story about two families, and two lands. It's a story about one family, and one world.
Levy handles with aplomb what could easily have been a messy mix of emotions and politics.
The intention here is plain - we are all human, we can all be family - but Levy weaves the mix of identity crises, cultural mingling and common ground slyly.
"The Other Son'' is played with warmth and conviction by its cast. But it's also a little pat and toothless, set in an Israel where not even the notorious border crossings seem that difficult.
This moving, emotionally concise human drama is easily one of the most remarkable films about the unending conflict in the Middle East.
Somehow Levy - and her actors - avoid sentimentality and trite homilies. The Other Son explores the age-old nature vs. nurture divide, and ends up as refutation of ignorance and hate.
Some have accused Levy's pic of naïvete, and yet this isn't trying to make bold, heavy political statements, as the director is more interested in the human side of a perhaps unlikely but intriguing plot set-up.
The Other Son is an interesting, life-affirming story.
The film goes to great lengths to make us believe its premise, and then use it to make a humane and surprisingly hopeful film about Israeli-Palestinian relations.
The actors are all excellent, the storytelling compassionate, and the overall sense one takes from the film is more humane than political.
At times, certain supporting characters come off as mouthpieces for political points of view, but Levy isn't making a polemic, and her ultimate message is positive and humane.
Though lacking subtlety, the story conveys a rare sensitivity and compassion. But what divides humans historically are more complex issues of power and domination. And shouldn't be buried, even in fiction, under sentimental appeals which change nothing.
The movie doesn't need to preach a "we're all equal" message. When we watch the boys bond with their new kin over food or music, then see the lines of Palestinians plodding through armed checkpoints to reach jobs or visit Israeli friends, we get the point.
The concept feels very designed-to-teach-us-lessons, but the execution is surprisingly graceful.
A provocative, moving social drama, superbly thought out and well acted by its cast.
What makes an Israeli or Palestinian?
Compelling and emotional, exploring many facets of self-identity.
How the sons begin to share each other's lives is sensitively portrayed, and the film's more original than the usual Romeo and Juliet personalization of the regional divide.
An unbelievable situation becomes remarkably tangible here and oh so pertinent.
A tender, warm and heartfelt drama that's grounded in humanism and well-nuanced acting. It's one of the best foreign films of the year.
Stands out as a plea for tolerance, a film about the shared humanity that can overcome even the most intractable of differences.
The Other Son is one of the best dramas of the year, foreign or otherwise, making a case that the strongest faith may be far away from pulpits and closer to home.
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Foreign Titles
- The Other Son (Le fils de l'autre) (DE)
- The Other Son (UK)
