Peter Miller (Hugh Jackman), who’s just started a new family, learns from his ex-wife (Laura Dern) that their 17-year-old son (Zen McGrath) has been skipping school… but that’s just a symptom of his problems. A prequel to The Father (2021) whose best moments include a chilling encounter between Jackman and his father (Anthony Hopkins) and a final, devastating sequence. It’s unfortunate that the rest of the film isn’t up to par; it feels repetitious. Jackman is fine as a parent who struggles to understand his son’s depression, but young McGrath can’t match him.

2023-France-U.S.-U.K. 123 min. Color. Widescreen. Direction, Play: Florian Zeller. Screenplay: Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton. Cast: Hugh Jackman (Peter Miller), Laura Dern (Kate Miller), Vanessa Kirby (Beth), Zen McGrath (Nicholas Miller), Hugh Quarshie, Anthony Hopkins.

Trivia: Co-executive produced by Jackman.