You Will Be My Son

Directed by Gilles Legrand, You Will Be My Son stars Niels Arestrup as Paul de Marseul, a prestigious wine-maker and owner of a renowned chateau and vineyard in Saint-Émilion, who is disheartened by the notion of his son Martin (Lorànt Deutsch) taking over the family business. Martin does not seem to have inherited the qualities that Paul esteems in a wine-maker: persistence, creative insight and technical prowess matched with passion for the job and the product, and Paul frequently reminds him of this, whether explicitly or in subtle gestures. When Philippe (Nicolas Bridet) appears at the vineyard, Paul leaps at the chance to name him as his successor, neglecting the wishes of his own son. The tension in this familial triangle comes to a head when an unexpected event changes everything. Like a fine wine, this drama is full-bodied and complex and provides a fascinating look at the matter of the transmission of knowledge, heritage and tradition in the world of wine.