My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009)

50% of critics liked it
(40 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(2,823 ratings)

The first collaboration between legendary filmmakers David Lynch and Werner Herzog, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done is loosely based on the true story of a San Diego man whose mystifying experiences lead him to commit a shocking act of matricide. Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, and Willem Dafoe… More The first collaboration between legendary filmmakers David Lynch and Werner Herzog, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done is loosely based on the true story of a San Diego man whose mystifying experiences lead him to commit a shocking act of matricide. Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, and Willem Dafoe headline this psychological thriller written and directed by Herzog, produced by Lynch, and featuring Grace Zabriskie, Udo Kier, and Brad Dourif. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Werner Herzog
Written By: Herbert Golder, Werner Herzog
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Sep 14, 2010
Studio: Unified Pictures

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
What they deliver is the sort of fake mysticism that usually ensues when secular intellectuals try to plumb the depths of religious faith.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Confounds all convention and denies all expected pleasures, providing instead the delight of watching Herzog feed the police hostage formula into the Mixmaster of his imagination.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Lynch and Herzog have tickled us for years with their dwarves and iguanas and impenetrable stories. This collaboration represents the vanishing point of willful obscurity.
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
As a writer-director with five decades' worth of notable screen work to his credit, [Herzog] certainly can't be faulted for taking risks, even if it means now and then, well, falling on his sword.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Herzog fans will love it.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
While watching Werner Herzog's My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done you might be tempted to murmur, "My Werner, My Werner, What Have Ye Done."
Jeffrey Chen, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
The version of madness displayed by [Michael Shannon's] Brad is not typically dramatic; it's mostly just strange, and dances the line bordering on goofiness.
, Daily Express
More like a bad dream than a good film.
Anton Bitel, Film4
It is a film that addresses itself directly to the audience of Lynch and Herzog, and sets out, in its own special way, to "razzle them, dazzle them, razzle dazzle them."
Andy Lowe, Total Film
It's like Psycho remade by Ed Wood.
Marc Lee, Daily Telegraph
Oddly understated, it's nevertheless as unnerving a vision of disintegration in suburbia as you'd expect from director Werner Herzog and producer David Lynch.
Xan Brooks, Guardian [UK]
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done finds God in a cereal box and Satan on an ostrich farm.
Laurence Boyce, Little White Lies
Unsettling but in a good way.
David Parkinson, Radio Times
The nods to Aguirre, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo won't go unnoticed, but the more obtuse touches that bear the stamp of executive producer David Lynch may prove too eclectically eccentric.
Tom Huddleston, Time Out
My Son, My Son... may be a minor work in the Herzog canon but it's still one of the more fascinating, frustrating, disturbing and beautiful experiences available to cinemagoers this year.
Alexander Pashby, Electric Sheep
This is a must for Herzog and Lynch fans.
Becky Bartlett, The Skinny
Like many of the characters, the plot is under-developed yet My Son, My Son lingers in the brain and is essential viewing for Herzog and Lynch fans alike.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Enjoyably weird thriller that's a treat for fans of both Herzog and Lynch, with a superb script and great performances from a terrific ensemble cast.
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
A clash between mental deterioration and confrontational cinema, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done lunges into the fragmented abyss of a murderous lost soul attempting to craft his own personalized religious awakening.
Prairie Miller, Purple Revolver
Both baffling and mystifying, the film details a descent into madness with God in a boombox, worshipped oatmeal boxes, and the designated lunatic's proclaimed mantra, minus reference to any white whale though flamingos may be implicated, as Call Me Farouk

Read all 24 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Melvin W

Brad McCullum: Some people act a role, others play a part! "The Mystery Isn't Who. But Why." I really have no idea on what to think of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? It's definitely a weird and interesting film. It has some bizarre performances, especially… More
Brad McCullum: Some people act a role, others play a part! "The Mystery Isn't Who. But Why." I really have no idea on what to think of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? It's definitely a weird and interesting film. It has some bizarre performances, especially in the case of Michael Shannon. The film is shot beautifully, and has the stamp of of both Herzog(a good thing) and of Lynch(in my opinion, most of the time, a bad thing). At times the movie is absorbing and you forget that you're actually watching a movie. At other times it began to get very tiresome and I became aware of every second of my life the film was taking up. In the end, it was actually a pretty hard film to get through, which is irritating because I really expected to like it. I love Herzog, and I definitely love the cast of Dafoe, Shannon, and Savigny. Still, I can't say the film is a good one. In fact I'd almost sway to the side of not recommending this to anyone, but I'm sure there are people who will be able to find the masterpiece that is hidden somewhere below the surface. I'm under the impression that it is there, I just couldn't find it. Maybe upon another viewing in the future, I will be able to. Hopefully. It really does have the Lynchian feel to it. Many scenes felt like they had his fingerprints all over them, and that really annoyed me. I don't know for certain that that is true, but just the thought of Lynch having any control over the end product makes me a little nervous. You should know that I really just don't like Lynch. I've seen many of his films and of the ones I've seen, I can only say I like Blue Velvet. So his involvement here just irks me, especially because it compromises the film in my opinion because I could see him wanting at least a decent amount of artistic control. I wish Herzog was the only name selling the film; I think it would have turned out better.
Chris W

There was an awesome team behind this, with David Lynch producing, and Werner Herzog co-writing and directing. That fact alone makes this film interesting. It's just unfortunate that the end result is rather underwhelming and doesn't really add up to much. The film is… More
There was an awesome team behind this, with David Lynch producing, and Werner Herzog co-writing and directing. That fact alone makes this film interesting. It's just unfortunate that the end result is rather underwhelming and doesn't really add up to much. The film is loosely based on an actual event, and involves an young actor who, obsessed with a Greek tragedy he's rehearsing, kills his mother with an antique sword. So, since everyone knows who did it, the investigation of the case is based around why he did it. Given who's involved here, that obviously means that this film is offbeat and takes an unconventional approach. When the film begins, the crime has already happened, so the film alternates between flashbacks leading up to the crime, and the investigation itself. It's sort of a horror movie, but it's more about tone, mood, and atmosphere, and the psychology of things instead of focusing on the bloodshed. There have been plenty of films already that have done the whole descent into madness thing so well that there's no real point in trying to top those or add to that collection, so here it is a case of, "we've got a crazy guy, let's just film something about him". In a way, that's cool, and kinda works. It doesn't really lead up to much though, and I never felt like I got much of a point here, but there were some high points along the way at least. The pairing of Herzog and Lynch is awesome, so it sucks that the result wasn't spectacular. There's a great cast of character players here, all fitting perfectly with the vibe common to H and L's typical works. The performances are pretty damn good, save for Sevigny who just kinda seems ot be spaced out and phoning it in. The music if great, and the cinematography is also pretty sweet. The film has a great, creepy vibe to it, and it's a nice reminder of how these two directors can take seemingly normal places and warp them. Too bad the overall result is meandering, ponderous, and a tad too slow in the pacing department. Look, I like parts of this, a lot, but it's just a bit unfulfilling when it shouldn't be. Maybe I missed the point. All I know is that if you like either director, you are bound to find at least something to like, even if it isn't everything.
Dan S

An unbearably pretentious bore concerning a mentally unstable man (Michael Shannon), convinced he has been spoken to by God, who kills his mother after journeying around the area of Southern California and becoming more detached from society. What sounds like a thrilling, surrealistic… More
An unbearably pretentious bore concerning a mentally unstable man (Michael Shannon), convinced he has been spoken to by God, who kills his mother after journeying around the area of Southern California and becoming more detached from society. What sounds like a thrilling, surrealistic probing into a familiar but still fascinating subject falls flat on its face due to a nearly incomprehensible screenplay loaded with weird characters that do not feel natural to the story. David Lynch was clearly brought in here to give some of that Lynch-ian surrealistic atmosphere, but it all feels so fake, hollow, and forced. The acting is the only dependable aspect of this film, where Michael Shannon shines brightly yet again, and Brad Dourif has a memorable cameo although his character doesn't really serve any real purpose to the story. Werner Herzog and David Lynch are two of my favorite film-makers, and the combination of both of their talents should have been a home-run. Instead it's a full, blown-out bore of a movie that is not as eerie or suspenseful as it thinks it is. What a waste.
Anthony L

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done isn't exactly what I was expecting from a collaboration of Lynch and Herzog but it's as good as I was expecting. Michael Shannon is intoxicating in the lead role and he really makes the film. Both directors show themselves here and there but… More
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done isn't exactly what I was expecting from a collaboration of Lynch and Herzog but it's as good as I was expecting. Michael Shannon is intoxicating in the lead role and he really makes the film. Both directors show themselves here and there but keep their signatures slight and subtle - The true story is the star here as it should be and they've told it accordingly. The supporting cast also do a brilliant job and it is visually rich, far from disappointing and very haunting indeed. My kind of film!
Robert C

As a fan of both Herzog & Lynch, I was extremely excited by the idea of this union. And them when I saw the cast, my interest was peaked even more. Sadly, aside from a few bright spots here and there...things never really gel. Not that you expect a lot of… More
As a fan of both Herzog & Lynch, I was extremely excited by the idea of this union. And them when I saw the cast, my interest was peaked even more. Sadly, aside from a few bright spots here and there...things never really gel. Not that you expect a lot of "gelling" from Herzog & Lynch...but ultimately it just feels like a battle between two very powerful and brilliant forces in which neither wins.
Gordon A

Intriguing, stylized study of a descent into madness, ably portrayed by Shannon who is rapidly becoming the go-to-guy for unhinged loons. Herzog keeps his flights of fancy to a minimum but I didn't feel the profundity he seemed to be aiming for.
Greg S

A deranged man commits a murder and holes up in his house with a couple of hostages, and we learn his story through flashbacks as detectives interview those close to him. Surprisingly uninvolving, and considering the talent assembled (directed by Werner Herzog, produced by David… More
A deranged man commits a murder and holes up in his house with a couple of hostages, and we learn his story through flashbacks as detectives interview those close to him. Surprisingly uninvolving, and considering the talent assembled (directed by Werner Herzog, produced by David Lynch, starring Willem Dafoe and Michael Shannon) a big disappointment.
Eric B

The idea of David Lynch and Werner Herzog working together sounds like a cineaste's dream, so the tedious mediocrity of "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" is a grave disappointment. This one comes off like a quickie, mostly shot with available light in sunny San Diego… More
The idea of David Lynch and Werner Herzog working together sounds like a cineaste's dream, so the tedious mediocrity of "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" is a grave disappointment. This one comes off like a quickie, mostly shot with available light in sunny San Diego and full of performances which seem notably underrehearsed. No one tries too hard, except the ever-ghoulish Udo Kier. Chloe Sevigny is particularly unconvincing, and looks like she can't wait for a cut so she can have a laugh. The casual treatment becomes doubly irksome, considering the heavy scenario: A disturbed son (Richard Kiel-lookalike Michael Shannon) who murders his controlling mother (Grace Zabriskie, wildly over the top). As Shannon holds up in the family home with two hostages, the police (led by Willem Dafoe) keep watch and interview friends about his history. The killer's background is filled in with disjointed flashbacks, a la "Citizen Kane." The similarities stop there. The triggers for his madness include a doomed rafting trip and an all-consuming role in a local staging of a Greek tragedy, but such details do not adequately explain the killing. The film has none of the eerie atmosphere which one might expect from a David Lynch production, and even the soundtrack is just a sloppy assemblage of found music. Watch for a moment in Peru where Shannon repeats a line after it's interrupted by unplanned thunder.
Walter M

In "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done," San Diego Police Detectives Havenhurst(Willem Dafoe) and Vargas(Michael Pena) respond to the scene of a murder. If they want to talk to the suspect, then they should try Brad McCullum(Michael Shannon), the tall guy they just passed… More
In "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done," San Diego Police Detectives Havenhurst(Willem Dafoe) and Vargas(Michael Pena) respond to the scene of a murder. If they want to talk to the suspect, then they should try Brad McCullum(Michael Shannon), the tall guy they just passed with the coffee mug.(Oh and while they're at it, could they find out where he got his coffee?) It seems he killed his mother(Grace Zabriskie) and has now taken hostages. Thankfully, Brad's girlfriend Ingrid(Chloe Sevigny) is on hand to fill in the blanks. "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" is a Werner Herzog film presented by David Lynch and lives up to its promise of craziness enough for me to give it the barest of recommendations. While not much of it makes sense, it allows the filmmakers to fully explore their obsessions, Herzog with insanity, Peru and, well, obsessions while Lynch will always have his coffee. Not that it is relevant, with the exception of Grace Zabriskie, the casting leans towards Lars von Trier territory and Michael Shannon moves another step towards becoming a running joke, as the movie lurches perilously close towards unintentional comedy. If you cannot guess who Brad's hostages are, then you have not been paying attention.
Jeffrey M

I really like Werner Herzog and David Lynch, two great (some might argue brilliant) directors. So you'd think the combination of the two would yield epic results. Not so much. I'll be the first to admit that I really don't know what the hell this movie was trying to… More
I really like Werner Herzog and David Lynch, two great (some might argue brilliant) directors. So you'd think the combination of the two would yield epic results. Not so much. I'll be the first to admit that I really don't know what the hell this movie was trying to say. There's lots of the Herzog signature randomness, which can sometimes work (like the great Bad Lieutenant), but here a lot of it just seems weird for the sake of weird. Still, I have to admit, Michael Shannon fit the part, whatever that means in this case. On a side note, I loved Brad Dourif's role. He is unquestionably one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. Those of you that doubt me need to check out the exceptional X-Files episode, Beyond the Sea.
Christopher H

If you can stomach the Herzog eccentricism and randomness of the plot, the film actually has some worthwhile moments. Herzog is still a director for a reason, you just have to understand his method of madness.… More
If you can stomach the Herzog eccentricism and randomness of the plot, the film actually has some worthwhile moments. Herzog is still a director for a reason, you just have to understand his method of madness. http://proofinpicture.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/my-son-my-son-what-have-ye-done/
Marcus W

Big fan of Herzog, not so big on Lynch, which pretty much sums up my opinion of the film. The characters and cinematography are all great, and typical Herzog. But when Lynch turns up the film slips and becomes unwelcoming.They're both acclaimed directors and fans of either should… More
Big fan of Herzog, not so big on Lynch, which pretty much sums up my opinion of the film. The characters and cinematography are all great, and typical Herzog. But when Lynch turns up the film slips and becomes unwelcoming.They're both acclaimed directors and fans of either should see this, but I don't think it was the best team-up.
James B

Werner Herzog is definitely a bizarre cat! Although his last two movies, this and Bad Lieutenant, are about as normal as I think we shall see Herzog's visions. That's not to say that this is a normal film by any means....it really isn't. It's definitely still a… More
Werner Herzog is definitely a bizarre cat! Although his last two movies, this and Bad Lieutenant, are about as normal as I think we shall see Herzog's visions. That's not to say that this is a normal film by any means....it really isn't. It's definitely still a Herzog film! Michael Shannon gives a compelling performance as the titular character. If you are a fan of the German director, you will probably seek this out on your own. As for those unfamiliar with his work, this might not be for you...but then again, maybe this will be your 'Aguirre, Wrath of God' and you will be introduced to one of cinema's most intriguing creators!
Sean L

Werner Herzog and David Lynch both have distinct styles of weirdness, and both styles can be very effective on their own. Unfortunately, I felt that the two styles really crashed here, and Herzog's film was constantly being invaded by David Lynch. The soundtrack is very… More
Werner Herzog and David Lynch both have distinct styles of weirdness, and both styles can be very effective on their own. Unfortunately, I felt that the two styles really crashed here, and Herzog's film was constantly being invaded by David Lynch. The soundtrack is very Lynchian, but unlike in Lynch's films, I found it very obnoxious here. I also had a problem with the story and acting in that Michael Shannon's character is so clearly, dangerously insane that we are never able to like, or even care about him, and I certainly didn't understand why the other characters continued to have anything to do with him. Its well shot and I always like cop/hostage story lines but this movie worked for me less and less as it went on. Once everything got quickly wrapped up, I had had it and I just wanted to be watching Bad Lieutenant again, which I was a few hours later.