THE PERFECT SON
2000

Bay Area Premiere
February 24, 2001

Cinequest San Jose Film Festival

A charming Canadian film about two very different brothers brought together after awhile by the death of their father. The younger one is freshly out of rehab and is thought of in the family as the screw up. The older one is a successful Toronto lawyer, who was a star athlete in high school. When the extremely closeted older brother is stricken with AIDS, the younger one must come to terms with his secret lifestyle and care for him.

What separated this film from many others is its subtlety and honesty. The sibling relationship was shown in an incredibly realistic way. Brothers do things for each other, even if they don't want to and are not sure if they should. The dying brother is shown joyous, cocky, horny, and sobbing. The younger one takes on responsibilities he's not sure he can achieve. Both actors did fantastic jobs fleshing out their characters. I liked this one a lot.