FFFA26: The Son Of M

One week after a chaotic presidential election, France urgently needs a new Prime Minister. A hapless but ambitious young parliamentary assistant (Jean Chevalier) has a plan: convince his retired and highly erratic politician father (François Cluzet, The Intouchables) to return from exile and seize the top job. What follows is a breakneck political comedy that transforms into a razor-sharp portrait of power, ambition, and the flexibility of principle. With The Son Of, former political journalist Carlos Abascal Peiró makes an audacious debut, dynamically navigating the treacherous corridors of the French Republic, his camera stalking the backrooms where ideology evaporates and egos dominate, capturing politicians, fixers and media operators engaged in verbal warfare with astonishing ferocity. Filmed before France's current political turmoil, the narrative hums with uncanny and prophetic resonance. Think Veep with a distinctly Gallic accent; anyone appreciative of Armando Iannucci's savage political dissections and Succession will find much to savour here. Newcomer Chevalier is perfectly cast as the slippery modern opportunist, supported by an hilarious, never-better Cluzet's reluctant patriarch, Karin Viard's irresistible party operative and Alex Lutz (The Stolen Painting) rounding out a stellar ensemble. Sharp, unsparing, and mischievously satisfying, The Son Of is a winning satire.