The heart-pounding mystery thriller, My Son, is an English-language remake of the 2017 French film of the same name (Mon Garcon in French). Both films were written and directed by the ace filmmaker Christian Carion. The thrilling narrative follows a separated husband and wife who reunite to find their missing son. While the drama fails to create an impact, the exciting turn of events keeps the viewers hooked. Hence, don’t expect much and just enjoy the thrills.
Plot Summary
Edmond Murray (James McAvoy) arrives at Camp Lochy in the Glen Nevis area (Scotland) after his seven-year-old son, Ethan, is reported missing. At the campsite, Edmond meets his ex-wife, Joan Richmond (Claire Foy), and the investigating officer, Inspector Roy (Gary Lewis).
Inspector Roy assembles a search team and looks for the missing kid in the woods and the mountain regions. However, when all alert plans fail to find Ethan, Roy concludes that it can be a case of kidnapping.
Edmond visits the station for an intimate interrogation and reveals that he works for an oil company. Roy speculates that due to the nature of his job, Edmond has to live abroad in Gulf countries, and it can be linked to Ethan’s kidnapping. However, Edmond disregards these theories and pays a visit to Joan.
At Joan’s place, Edmond meets her new boyfriend, Frank Gilchrist. After an uncomfortable and awkward conversation, Edmond presumes that maybe Frank has something to do with Ethan’s kidnapping. In disbelief, Edmond assaults Frank and ends up in jail.
Roy assures Edmond that Frank has nothing to do with Ethan’s kidnapping. He also reveals that Joan had suffered a miscarriage a month ago, and thus, Frank gave her a sleeping drug (Valium) to help her cope with the tragedy.
However, soon Roy pays a visit to Edmond and reports that he has been discharged from Ethan’s case. The case will be handled by higher authorities from London. Roy speculates that it has something to do with Edmond’s oil industry, and now Edmond is on his own. Only he can find his son, and he needs to act fast.
‘My Son’ Ending Explained
When Edmond assaulted Frank, he stole Frank’s phone, believing it might have some evidence to lead to Ethan. While scrolling Frank’s phone, Edmond found family videos of Ethan’s birthday celebration and of the day when Joan dropped Ethan for the astronomy camp. Edmond felt guilty for not giving time to his only son and kept watching the videos on loop until he found a suspicious vehicle.
Edmond visited Joan and showed her the footage of the same car. He concluded that the owner of the vehicle might be keeping an eye on Ethan. Following his instinct, Edmond requested Joan to contact her brother in the insurance agency to get details of the number plate and the home address of the suspicious car. After an inquiry, Edmond and Joan found that the vehicle belonged to William O’Connor and discovered his address.
Without wasting any moment, Edmond infiltrated William’s house and found the car parked outside the shed. He struck William with an iron rod and later interrogated him violently. After extensive torture, William confessed to following Ethan for two weeks and later abducted him for some mysterious group. He dropped Ethan at Dunmore Lodge, and he left. William had no idea what happened with Ethan after that.
To save his son, Ethan sneaked into a ruined Dunmore Lodge and found three men inside. He also found an unconscious Ethan who was given anesthesia by his kidnappers. Edmond took charge of affairs and struck the driver, Steven. He hid Steven’s body inside one of the rooms and later communicated with the kidnappers to free Ethan. However, when the Kidnappers pulled out a gun, Ethan texted his location to Joan from Steven’s cell phone and requested her to contact Inspector Roy immediately.
By the time Joan arrived at the lodge, Ethan had knocked down another kidnapper. He discreetly rescued Ethan and met Joan near the exit. They left the lodge in the kidnapper’s vehicle, but the remaining kidnapper opened fire on the car, and a bullet hit Edmond’s back. On the road, Edmond fainted, and the car slipped off the road. Joan took Ethan out of the vehicle as she heard someone approaching them. Initially, she thought the kidnapper had followed them, but fortunately, it was Inspector Roy.
In the end, Edmond reunited with his son, Ethan, and ex-wife, Joan. However, the happy reunion was short-lived. Edmond was under arrest as his “oil company” was being investigated for illegal operations. Before leaving, he assured Ethan that he’d be back in a while. Inspector Roy also gave the same hope. Edmond helped the police dismantle the child abduction network, and the judge would probably consider his valuable efforts. The film ended on a satisfactory note as Edmond finally met Ethan after a long time. He even taught his son how to operate a drone. Maybe Ethan will remember him until he returns from prison.
In Conclusion
The speculations made throughout the film about terrorists abducting Ethan were hoaxes. He was kidnapped by a syndicate who sold kids on demand. Joan found an unconscious girl inside William’s car trunk, and the kidnapper underlined that someone especially demanded a girl.
However, the film’s First Act subtly hinted at the illegal operations of Edmond’s oil company in the Gulf Countries. Edmond explained to Roy that one of his associates was kidnapped, and they had to pay ransom to rescue him. For the investigation, Edmond was forced to hand over his cellphone to the police and soon after, the officials raided his office. Probably, the investigation involved national security, and thus Inspector Roy had to step down from the case.
Whatever the case may be, the film didn’t disclose any concrete evidence. It left much of it for interpretation.
My Son is a 2021 Mystery Drama Thriller film written and directed by Christian Carion. It stars James McAvoy and Claire Foy in the lead roles.
