A Son
A Tunisian couple races to save their wounded son while a hospital revelation tears open the foundations of their family.
Overview
A family's life hangs in the balance as they confront a shocking secret amidst a desperate search for a donor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- intimate
- harrowing
- serious film night
- international cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a deft, emotionally powerful family drama that combines suspense with incisive social and legal commentary.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Aziz's urgent transplant crisis exposes Tunisian legal and social realities while Fares and Meriem confront impossible decisions.
Aziz's punctured liver and need for a donor drive the couple's escalating crisis.
The transplant search uncovers a secret that threatens Aziz's survival and transforms the couple's understanding of their family.
The stray bullet from an armed ambush initiates the hospital crisis and the revelations that follow.
Films like A Son, and why
The Insult
shared intimate family crisis, moral pressure, and socially grounded North African drama
A Separation
shared tense domestic conflict, hidden family truths, and emotionally restrained social realism
The Broken Circle Breakdown
shared child-centered medical emergency, parental desperation, and ethically difficult choices
Movie Details
- Director
- Mehdi M. Barsaoui
- Release Date
- 2020-01-15
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (44)
Cast
- Sami Bouajila
- Najla Ben Abdallah
- Youssef Khemiri
- Noomene Hamda
- Slah Msadak
- Med Ali Ben Jemaa
- Qassine Rawane
- Jihed Cherni
- Nissaf Bel Hafsia
- Karim Kefi
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Son about?
- A Tunisian couple races to save their wounded son while a hospital revelation tears open the foundations of their family.
- What is A Son like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Son as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Son violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Son as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Son?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a deft, emotionally powerful family drama that combines suspense with incisive social and legal commentary.
- Which films are like A Son?
- Films with a similar feel include The Insult, A Separation, and The Broken Circle Breakdown.
- How long is A Son?
- A Son runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Son?
- In United States, A Son is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
