Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- eerie
- enigmatic
- unsettling
- late night cinephile viewing
- surreal thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film atmospherically distinctive and enigmatic but too digressive and insufficiently profound compared with Herzog’s strongest explorations of madness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The hostage situation and detective investigation are repeatedly diverted into Herzogian surrealism rather than conventional procedural resolution.
Brad McCullum experiences mystifying events and a destabilizing psychological descent before killing his mother.
Crime scenes, domestic interiors, and the police standoff are rendered as strange environments rather than realistic procedural settings.
The premise is inspired by a true crime but is filtered through Herzog and Golder’s highly unconventional dramatic treatment.
Films like My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, and why
The Last Wave
surreal crime investigation, fractured psychology, and offbeat atmosphere
Barton Fink
eccentric mystery, destabilized reality, and darkly comic procedural elements
The Machinist
psychological disintegration, uncanny symbolism, and oppressive thriller tension
The King of Comedy
unconventional police standoff structure and stylized descent into madness
Movie Details
- Director
- Werner Herzog
- Release Date
- 2010-07-08
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (236)
Cast
- Michael Shannon
- Willem Dafoe
- Chloë Sevigny
- Brad Dourif
- Michael Peña
- Loretta Devine
- Udo Kier
- Grace Zabriskie
- Irma P. Hall
- Jenn Liu
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done about?
- A surreal true-crime thriller turns a mother’s sword murder and ensuing police standoff into a disorienting study of madness.
- What is My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done as brutal.
- What did critics think of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
- Critics broadly found the film atmospherically distinctive and enigmatic but too digressive and insufficiently profound compared with Herzog’s strongest explorations of madness.
- Which films are like My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Wave, Barton Fink, The Machinist, and The King of Comedy.
- How long is My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
- My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
- In United States, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
