Like a son: Vincent Lindon takes a young delinquent under his wing

“Everyone allows themselves to mock the Roma viciously, even violently, without any complexes. To make fun of their misery,” denounced Nicolas Boukrief.

Jacques Romand is a teacher who has lost his passion. His life will change since he witnessed an attack in a local grocery store. As a witness, Jacques contributes to the capture of one of the thieves: Victor, aged 14. Jacques realizes the social and financial misery in which this kid finds himself out of school and forced to steal to survive. The teacher will do everything possible to help this young person who is adrift – even if it means confronting the exploiters. By trying to convince Victor to fight against his own reluctance to build a better future, Jacques will change his own destiny…

Nicolas Boukhriefdirector of Three days and a life (2018), A radiant sky (2017) or even The Confession (2015), wanted to pay homage to the teaching professions with Like a sonreleased in theaters last March and broadcast for the first time on television this evening on Canal +.

“Like a son was born from two ideas, explained the director when unveiling his trailer, at the very beginning of 2024. After the assassination of Samuel Paty, I first wanted to write a film on the importance of the figure of the professor. And pay tribute to those who helped me build myself.“

Of Romanian origin, the teenager is trapped in a vicious circle, orchestrated by an opportunistic and violent parent – the filmmaker claims to denounce the mistreatment of a constantly stigmatized population.

“The second idea was born when I saw several comedians on stage making rather poor jokes about the Roma community (…) This made me want to find out more about this community, which is undoubtedly suffering today of the greatest form of endemic racism since everyone allows themselves to mock it maliciously, even violently, without any complexes. To make fun of their misery“, declared the filmmaker in the press kit.

In the casting of this social showdown, Karole Rocher, Stefan Virgil Stoica And Vincent Lindonin the role of Jacques. What did the Première editorial team think? Here is our review of Like a son :

It’s a fascinating subject which, like most of Nicolas Boukhrief’s films, resonates strongly with current affairs. A teacher who has lost his flame comes across an isolated miner who has gone into a tailspin. The wild child is a Roma and is in trouble with the police. The former teacher then decides to save him. Despite himself. Against him. But how far can he go in this crusade? Directed to the bone, stifling realism: it feels like the Dardennes at the beginning (a kid, stubbornness, a mission, and reality as a real obstacle). Except there is Vincent Lindon, who is both the film’s best asset and its worst enemy. His presence impresses at first, raw, dense, before crushing everything, no longer letting the fiction and the other characters breathe.

Three days and a life, by Nicolas Boukhrief: An impressive drama (Review)