The Son: What Really Happened to Nicholas in the Final Scene

The Son leaves the audience uncertain about Nicholas’ fate in the film.

The movie, written and directed by Florian Ziller, stars Hugh Jackman as Peter, a man who has rebuilt his family life with Beth and their young son Theo. Peter faces his ex-wife Kate who tells him that their teenage son Nicholas suffers from depression.

The Son can be seen as a thematic sequel to The Father, Zeller’s 2020 Oscar-winning film. The Son features a cameo appearance from Anthony Hopkins who starred in The Father and received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a man with dementia.

The Son follows the theme of The Father in its realistic and profound depiction of mental illness and its far-reaching consequences.

Does Nicholas die in ‘The Son’?

Yes, Nicholas dies at the end of The Son. The film ends with Nicholas committing suicide with his father’s gun.

This outcome occurred despite Peter and Kate making the hard choice to keep Nicholas in a psychiatric ward with the hope that he would receive adequate medical care.

However, they changed their minds and opted not to leave Nicholas there alone and signed the papers for his discharge against the doctor’s advice. Nicholas appeared relieved and happy to be with his parents as he made them tea at home, but still decided to end his life.

Before the gunshot was heard in the bathroom, Nicholas had stumbled upon Peter’s gun that he stored in the house. He conveyed a heartfelt message to his parents before he entered the bathroom.

Nicholas said that he loved them and pleaded for their forgiveness. The short moment seemed like a breakthrough for him, who finally seemed calm. Prior to the gunshot, Kate was asking Peter to accompany her and Nicholas to the movies in a scene that briefly hinted at a more positive outcome.

The Meaning of Peter’s Fantasy

The final scene, which portrayed Peter imagining what a life with Nicholas still living would be like, added to the uncertainty about Nicholas’ death.

He greeted his son into his home with Beth, envisioning that Nicholas was coming over with a girlfriend named Lena. The two hug and talk in the living room where Nicholas appeared to be doing much better living in Toronto.

Peter imagined what his son would have been like if he had been more caring of him, picturing that Nicholas would have developed into a well-balanced person and even a novelist. The dreamy moment broke into reality in another tragic twist as Peter is shown breaking down under his regret for losing Nicholas in The Son.

About The Son

The Son is an upcoming American family drama directed by Florian Zeller from a screenplay by him and Christopher Hampton. The 2022 film is a sequel to the 2020 Academy winner The Father.

Peter leads a busy life with his dream job almost in his hands and a beautiful partner, Beth, to share his happiness. But things take a more complicated turn when his son Nicholas comes to stay with him and disrupts his life as he has known.

The sequel stars Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby, Zen McGrath, Hugh Qaurshie, and Anthony Hopkins. The film released on November 11, 2022.