This poignant drama is practically a remake of Kramer vs Kramer from 1979 – though this time with two divorcing New York-based dads fighting for custody of their kid instead of K2’s traditional pairing of a husband and wife. And like the older Dustin Hoffman-Meryl Streep vehicle, Our Son is a bit soapy and middlebrow, but impeccably performed all-round, led by a trio of terrific turns from Luke Evans and Billy Porter as the two fathers, with winning, winsome support from Christopher Woodley as Owen, their eight-year-old son.
The script, co-written by Peter Nickowitz and director Bill Oliver, delivers an acute, subtly shaded group portrait of current gay lifestyles, from married-with-children types like Nicky (Evans) and Gabriel (Porter), who are monogamous until Gabriel strays without pre-agreement into another’s man’s arms, to older men who never wanted that kind of domesticity, to young ones still having one-night hook-ups out on the scene. And that’s just the guys – there are also some lesbian characters represented, not least Pam (Robin Weigert), Nicky’s family law attorney who is full of good advice.
In a very believable dynamic, Gabriel isn’t quite sure why he’s fallen out of love with Nicky, but the shift in feeling is irreparable and once spoken there’s no going back. The goal is to manage the separation, divorce and custody decision with a minimum of damage to Owen, a sensitive kid who is nevertheless more resilient than he seems. The film touches on how Owen was conceived via an egg donor and a surrogate, but responsibly underscores that in the eyes of the law both Nicky and Gabriel are his fathers, even if it is Nicky who is biologically the father.
At times, the film feels a little didactic, as if designed to inform straight friends and relatives on the issues of same-sex marriage and divorce, like the straight if supportive members of Nicky’s family we meet later on. Nevertheless, there’s a generosity of spirit here that makes the mildly preachy moments forgivable. All the characters are rounded, fallible and likable in equal measure, and even if the score is a bit syrupy, it’s a pleasant, engaging watch.
• Our Son is on digital platforms in the UK from 25 March and on Apple TV in Australia from 26 March.
