Boy Erased

The details in every scene and the polish and precision of a perfect cast make Boy Erased one of the finest and most unforgettable films of the year.

Gay conversion therapy gets the indictment it deserves, from an insightful script based on a you-are-there tell-all, and an outstanding cast.

The most emotionally arresting moments of Boy Erased are delivered through quieter scenes between Jared and his parents.

While Edgerton’s fractured approach has a frustrating way of compartmentalizing his characters into their own subplots, making it hard for the movie to convey the full sweep of its emotional journey, Boy Erased regards everyone with such raw empathy that even its most difficult moments are fraught with the possibility of forgiveness.

Even though Boy Erased is well acted and thoughtful, there’s something vaguely disappointing about it.

Boy Erased could have been more sharply etched, all told – there’s something naggingly indistinct about it. But the lessons of Conley’s experience fight manfully, all the same, to punch through and be counted.

It’s a curiously underwhelming, muted, often plodding two hours that fails to reach the emotional highs and devastating lows one would expect from the material.

A deep reflexion about how accept the homosexuality of a son, with tolerance, mixed with the controversy of therapy conversion. Real-life drama supported by strong cast.

Fortunately and unfortunately, “Boy Erased” is a true story. Unfortunate because the trauma and suffering inflicted on the main character are based on the author’s real-world experiences. Fortunate because the entire film is imbued with an unmistakable authenticity that is riveting to watch. Based on the book by the same name, (author Garrard Conley becomes Jared Eamons in the film) the story chronicles Jared’s late-adolescent awkwardness and his increasing suspicion that he is gay. Jared’s father (Russell Crowe), a Baptist minister who also runs the local Ford dealership, believes that homosexuality is sin and that the only way forward is to send Jared to a gay conversion camp. The results are heart-wrenching, with the young man earnestly, guilelessly trying to anchor his life in a belief system that rejects the core of his being. While Jared’s pain is heartbreaking, the screenplay creates no scapegoats, even if some would be well-deserved. Director-Writer-Actor Joel Edgerton has used extraordinary sensitivity in conveying the good intentions of all concerned. Even those running the conversion therapy program, which is a true horror show, are portrayed as earnest and sincere. Although no one is written off as stupid or evil, the consequences for Jared and the other unfortunates experiencing conversion therapy are no less devastating. In a too-bizarre-to-not-be-true postscript at the end of the film, it is noted that the aggressive leader of the gay conversion program now lives in Texas – with his husband. It would be easy to suggest that “Boy Erased” is a star-making vehicle for Lucas Hedges as ,Jared. However, since he already has an Oscar nomination (for "Manchester by the Sea," 2016) and key roles in three excellent recent films - "Lady Bird," "Three Billboards …" and "Mid90s" – it’s impossible to suggest that he is a revelation. That said, his performance is absolutely magnificent. His totally convincing portrayal of adolescent confusion, earnest faith and burgeoning self-regard are the essence of this film’s excellence. In minor roles, Russell Crowe (Marshall Eamons) and Nicole Kidman (Nancy Eamons) make solid contributions. Kidman, as a strong Southern belle (a “steel magnolia” if you will), is particularly essential to the story and skillful in her performance. In the final analysis, “Boy Erased” is not just a story about the difficulties of coming out in a conservative Southern community. The inevitable pain of that experience is effectively, honestly counterbalanced by the demonstration that a mother’s love for her son can redeem even the most difficult situation.

Gay conversion therapy is abuse. No dancing around it. It’s awful, demeaning, dangerous and should be outlawed. This true-story drama concerns a young college student sent to gay conversion therapy after he’s outed by another gay college student who **** him. As he is the son of a Baptist preacher, this news doesn’t come home well and the boy and his mother go for two weeks. We see how awful these places are – diminishing the self-confidence of young people, telling them they are worthless and beating them with cherry-picked Bible verses. It’s heartbreaking how much hate is thrown at them. Edgerton, who previously directed the disturbing in a different way The Gift, gets the message across without being too “preachy” at those opposed to homosexuality, trying to give a reasons why and their battle against themselves (especially in Crowe). I will say, Hedges keeps getting nominations, but I don’t see it. I find him an uncharasmatic block of wood actor, starring out with a clinched jaw and little emotion until he gets to yell in everything. He reminds me of Jesse Eisenberg minus the Jeff Goldbumness.

Reviewing The Course. Boy Erased Edgerton's vital project is equally admirable, if not energetic, to the voice it raises. This seen-this-seen-that structure of the script may have something new to offers but has stereotypical characters and repetitive concept that is clearly off putting. Still scoffing off the limitations, Edgerton's textbook procedure is effective, it is well crafted and genuinely invested tale. One of the primary reasons, why it works is the inevitability of the antagonist, since there is no physical appearance to it, it gets impossible to eradicate it and the annoyance that our characters goes through, is communicated thoroughly through stellar performance and brilliant execution. Fighting the long lasting battle, that is against narrow minded people, usually the solution is to take the South direction, but before its last act, the makers have managed to offer the simplest of solution. But this is simply another extra branch of the film, it's core lies on the analysation of a personal relationship which is put on trial in here. The class involves the usual suspects, one who is friendly, one of them a bully and one whose innocence gets snatched away. Soaking all the dripped material from all the tactics ever introduced in this genre, Edgerton has made a qualifying film. He never stretches things, each sequence of the film is an essential development to the storyline. From meaningful conversations with Kidman on a car to writing down notes on the paper, and just because of this tone of the film, that isn't commercial at all- if anything it is a bit more artsy than it accounts for- it leaves the audience satisfied. Hedges resisting the stupidity of the people surrounding them is a surprising package that keeps giving you back reasons to hold on to him. Personally I prefer Hedges when he has to swallow all the accusations without any counter arguments, rather than in his last act where he jets his rage around the surrounding and enlightens the tale to a much faster pace. Crowe on the other hand owns his body like never before, he is firm, rigid and too behemoth to be able to move aside by anyone, he is one big wall that Hedges has to climb. Kidman on the other hand plays almost a double agent, the apt host for Hedges to penetrate these narrow minded people and walk past them ahead. Edgerton, himself, plays the miniature physique of the antagonist, but still a nail biting challenger that amps up the charge and makes us want to punch him, this is his big win. With only little going on, in narration it helps Edgerton immensely to stay on the track and follow protagonist's perspective without leaving his lead and despite of it, the narration never grows dull for ticking for around two hours. Unfortunately, the film isn't layered as it thinks it is, it has a definite layer of essential ingredients, but is also wafer thin. Boy Erased manages to rub off the darker thoughts but also is primarily a mundane work.

In spite of powerful performances from Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Joel Edgerton, Boy Erased flounders with it's over padded and overly dramatic script. It's two hour run time feels like three and a half, thanks to many scenes that either don't go anywhere, or subvert Lucas Hedge's character's journey as opposed to highlighting it or world building. While you wouldn't think that world building wouldn't be a necessity in a real-life drama, I found that a lot of the character motivations and behaviors were completely alien to me. Russel Crowe's character suffers the most from this, and you never really get inside his head. You also never understand why these gay conversion camps operate in the way that they do. As a result, a lot of scenes are frustrating, or overly talky, or take the cheap way out with an overly dramatic delivery of a line or development of a plot element we never see again. While there were many moments I enjoyed, there were an overwhelming amount of moments that I could have slept through and not missed anything in the movie.