We don't usually report on cinema releases, but it's hard not to be fascinated by the meeting of talents that have resulted in the intriguingly titled My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. Following the critical success of Bad Lieutenant, director Werner Herzog maintains his return to form with My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, his first collaboration with fellow maverick David Lynch as executive producer.

Nominated for the Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, the film reunites many of the cast and crew of Bad Lieutenant – including Michael Shannon (The Runaways; Revolutionary Road), Brad Dourif (The Wild Blue Yonder; Dune; Blue Velvet), Irma P. Hall (Collateral; The Ladykillers), cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger (Encounters At The End Of The World; Rescue Dawn; Grizzly Man) and editor Joe Bini (Encounters At The End Of The World; Rescue Dawn; The Wild Blue Yonder) – and also stars Willem Dafoe (Daybreakers; Antichrist) and Chloe Sevigny (The Killing Room; Zodiac) alongside Udo Kier (Mother Of Tears) and longtime Lynch collaborator Grace Zabriskie (Inland Empire; Twin Peaks).

Inspired by true events, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done tells the peculiar story of Brad Macallum (Shannon), an aspiring actor who commits, in reality, the crime he is to enact in a Greek tragedy in which he is performing.

Called to the scene of a domestic disturbance in suburban San Diego, Detective Hank Havenhurst (Dafoe) arrives on the scene to discover an elderly woman (Zabriskie) lying in a pool of blood and an antique sword lying next to the body. The prime suspect is the woman's son, Brad, who has now barricaded himself inside a nearby house and appears to have taken hostages.

As the events leading up to the murder emerge, via the accounts of several neighbours as well as Brad's fiancée, Ingrid (Sevigny) and his theatrical director Lee (Kier), it becomes apparent that Brad is not so much insane as he is affected and confused by the madness of the world around him. His story proceeds in a non-linear fashion from the quiet suburban neighbourhoods of San Diego to the harsh landscapes of Peru and a Mexican border town, revealing parts of a mystery that only Brad can understand. Meanwhile, outside the house, a SWAT team is moving into position as Brad prepares to deliver one final surprise.

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done will released by Scanbox Entertainment and will open at selected UK cinemas on 10th September 2010. The film will also be released on DVD on 27th September 2010. Special Features include:

• Audio commentary by director Werner Herzog, producer Eric Bassett and screenwriter Herbert Golder;
• Interview with Werner Herzog including behind-the-scenes footage.