Video Review

Son of the Shark (1995)

EW's GRADE
A+

Details Movie Rated: Unrated; Genres: Drama, Foreign Language; With: Erick Da Silva and Ludovic Vandendaele

One of the most powerful stories of childhood despair ever, Agnes Merlet's Son of the Shark, about two delinquent brothers (Ludovic Vandendaele and Erick Da Silva) who compulsively vandalize their town, is also one of the great love stories. Their bond is shattering in its intensity and heartbreaking in its dependency: The older brother, sent to a reformatory, walks the roads for days to get back to the younger one — and to embark on a new spree. As they ravage the town with spontaneous glee, yet without malice, any conventional future they might have had evaporates. This French film, shot with a wonderful sense of the unexpected, is shocking and haunting — a brutal masterpiece. A+

Originally posted Sep 29, 1995 Published in issue #294 Sep 29, 1995 Order article reprints

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining
Advertisement