''The Perfect Son'' is a 2000 Canadian drama film written and directed by

Leonard Farlinger Leonard Farlinger is a Canadians, Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter."The Per ...

.Stephen Cole, "O brother, how art thou?". ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with M ...

'', February 2, 2001. The film centres on Ryan ( Colm Feore) and Theo ( David Cubitt) Taylor, estranged brothers reunited by their father's death. Growing up, Ryan was the "perfect son" and Theo was the "

black sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...

" who struggled with drug addiction. When Ryan reveals that he is dying of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, however, the brothers attempt to repair their relationship while Theo simultaneously tries to win back his ex-girlfriend Sarah (

Chandra West Chandra K. West (born December 31, 1970) is a Canadian actress. Early life and education West was born in Edmonton, Alberta, the youngest of eight children. The family moved to Oak Bay, British Columbia, where she attended Monterey Elementary ...

). The film premiered on September 14, 2000 in the Perspectives Canada stream at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Production

The film was Farlinger's feature directorial debut. He wrote the script based on his own relationship with his older brother Brian Farlinger, who died of AIDS in 1995. He stated that he chose to cast Feore and Cubitt in part because their significantly different performance styles as actors helped to illuminate the film's themes of familial conflict.Pam Swedko
"On set: The Perfect Son"
''

Playback Playback or Play Back may refer to: Film * ''Playback'' (1962 film), a British film in the ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' series * ''Playback'', a 1996 film starring Shannon Whirry * ''Playback'' (2012 film), an American horror film by Michael A. N ...

'', August 23, 1999. The film was shot in Toronto in 1999, as the first film produced by Jennifer Jonas's New Real Films.

Critical response

Peter Howell of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' wrote that the movie was weak, but salvaged by Feore's and Cubitt's performances, while

Katrina Onstad Katrina Onstad is a Canadian journalist and novelist. She has been a columnist for ''The Globe and Mail'' and ''Chatelaine'' and a film critic for the ''National Post'' and '' CBC Arts Online.'' Her work has appeared in many publications including ...

of the ''

'' called the film frustratingly slow-moving, but wrote that "just when I'd given up on this film -- I felt drowsy -- the final act of The Perfect Son kicked in, honest and emotional (a woman I was sitting near full- body sobbed)." Marke Andrews of the '' Vancouver Sun'' reviewed the film more favourably, writing that although the film was not without problems, Farlinger and the lead actors had successfully rescued it from turning into the dreadful TV movie that a film with this premise could have become.

Awards and nominations

Both Feore and Cubitt received

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nominations for

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

at the

21st Genie Awards The 21st Genie Awards were held in 2001 to honour films released in 2000. The ceremony was hosted by Brian Linehan. Nominees and winners The Genie Award winner in each category is shown in bold along with nominees. References {{Canadian Scree ...

,John McKay, "Maelstrom up for 10 Genies". ''

Waterloo Region Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

'', December 13, 2000. although neither won.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perfect Son, The 2000 films 2000 directorial debut films 2000 drama films 2000 LGBT-related films LGBT-related drama films English-language Canadian films Canadian drama films Canadian LGBT-related films Films about brothers Films directed by Leonard Farlinger Films shot in Toronto Gay-related films HIV/AIDS in Canadian films 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films