The Other Son

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  • Opened October 26, 2012 (NY, LA)
  • 1 hr 45 min
  • PG-13 | for a scene of violence, brief language and drug use
  • Joseph (Jules Sitruk), an 18-year-old musician preparing to join the Israeli army for his mandatory military service, lives at home in a comfortable suburb of Tel Aviv with his parents, France-born physician Orith (Emmanuelle Devos) and Israel-born army commander Alon Silbers (Pascal Elbé). A blood test for Joseph’s military service reveals that he is not their biological son. During the Gulf War Joseph was evacuated from a clinic along with another baby, and the pair were given back to the wrong families. While Palestinian Joseph went to Tel Aviv with the Silbers, their actual Jewish son, Yacine (Medhi Dehbi), was brought to the West Bank by an Arab couple, Said (Khalifa Natour) and Leila (Areen Omari). The revelation turns the lives of the two families upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, values, and beliefs. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Emmanuelle Devos, Pascal Elbe, Jules Sitruk
  • Director: Lorraine Levy
  • Genres: Drama

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63 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

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A FABULOUS FRENCH FILM ABOUT 18 YEAR OLD BOYS WHO WERE ACCIDENTALLY SWITCHED AT BIRTH. AN ISRAELI JEW AND A PALESTINIAN MUSLIM.

by Peneflix

French director Lorraine Levy has created a nightmarish scenario that evolves into a unique and quite beautiful movie... Imagine living harmoniously for eighteen years, cradled in a niche of comfort,...

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The Other Son

by Charles Berky

Should be seen by folks of all faiths. Leave it to women to bring mutual respect and trust. Guess we need more women leaders in this world to help put politics aside....

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So good on so many levels!

by Svsunbeam

This movie is beautifully done. It shows how love is more powerful than rigid inflexible beliefs about racial differences. The last spoken sentence is powerful. Take your teenagers....

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Critic Reviews

88
Chicago Sun-Times
| Roger Ebert

When the mistake is discovered, how do the families react? What disturbs them more: that their son has been raised as an enemy or that he has been raised in another religion? That's where The Other Son gets complicated. Read full review

75
San Francisco Chronicle
| Walter Addiego

Lévy gets expectedly strong work from the veteran Devos and outstanding performances from Sitruk and Dehbi. Read full review

75
Boston Globe
| Wesley Morris

It's done persuasively enough that you wonder how you'd feel under similar circumstances. Read full review

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
| Steven Rea

A parablelike melodrama with obvious symbolic meaning. Read full review

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A scene from "The Other Son."