Sons

20241 h 8 min 39 secFilm

Réalisation: Justin Simms

Production: Liz Cowie (National Film Board of Canada)Rohan Fernando (National Film Board of Canada)Kelly DavisNathalie Cloutier (National Film Board of Canada)John Christou (National Film Board of Canada)Annette Clarke (National Film Board of Canada)

Scénarisation: Justin Simms

A National Film Board of Canada production.

It’s a boy!  

March 16, 2016. Justin Simms has just become a dad.

But his joy is tinged with unease. Little Jude enters the world at a time when traditional notions of masculinity are being contested as never before. How can he teach his boy to be a good man?

With Sons, eight eventful years in the making, the Newfoundland-based filmmaker confronts the challenge with imagination and creative flair, crafting a big-hearted documentary essay on parenting, patriarchy—and the pain and pleasure of guiding boys through the turbulent cultural waters of the early 21st century.

Woven throughout is luminous informal footage of Jude’s early years, charting his trajectory from helpless newborn to hurricane of a boy, obsessed with dinosaurs and superheroes.

How can fathers steer sons away from negative models of masculinity and help them become caring adults? What does it even mean to be a “good man”? Isn’t it enough to nurture basic human qualities—empathy, confidence, common decency—without dwelling on gender?

Anchoring his enquiry in his home turf, a vibrant neighbourhood in downtown St. John’s, Simms enlists the help of family, friends and an engaging gang of fellow dads, all grappling with the challenge of parenting boys. “Masculinity can be beautiful,” observes one participant, “but it needs a new story now.”

Making inventive use of archival imagery, Simms evokes a traditional maritime culture where men frequently were separated from their families, and in a series of soul-bearing conversations with his own father, he explores how “masculinity” can always be questioned, always be reimagined.

Autres versions


Catégories de sujets


  • Famille > Développement et Éducation de l'enfantEnfantsPortraits de famille
  • Société > Individu dans la sociétéCondition masculine

Générique


écriture
Justin Simms
réalisateur
Justin Simms
monteur
Andrew MacCormack
cinématographie
Cody Westman
Andrew MacCormack
Duncan de Young
Marcia Connolly
musique originale
Ian Foster
conception sonore
Paul Steffler
consultant au récit
Wanda Nolan
producteur
Liz Cowie
Rohan Fernando
narrateur
Justin Simms
gérant de production
Lynn Andrews
recherche de documents d'archives
Marika Lapointe
recherche additionnelle
Maxine Krawczyk
Wanda Nolan
Tamara Segura
Kelly Shiers
enregistrement du bruitage
Hilary Thomson
prise de son au bruitage
Matthew Thomson
superviseur de production
Roz Power
coordonnateur technique
Daniel Lord
Christopher MacIntosh
réalisation graphique
Alain Ostiguy
motion design
Alain Ostiguy
monteur en ligne
Yannick Carrier
technicien montage numérique
Patrick Trahan
Pierre Dupont
Albert Kurian
ré-enregistrement
Isabelle Lussier
coordonnateur principal de production
Sarah MacLeod
producteur associé
Kelly Davis
administrateur de studio
Leslie Anne Poyntz
agent, marketing
Jamie Hammond
agent de publicité
Jennifer Mair
coordonnateur du marketing
Jolène Lessard
conseiller juridique
Peter Kallianiotis
producteur exécutif
Nathalie Cloutier
Rohan Fernando
John Christou
Annette Clarke