Boy Erased (2018) Review
A touching true story.
Monday gone, Lucy and I journeyed to Shepard’s Bush to see Joel Egderton’s latest feature; Boy Erased.
The film itself is a dramatised true story of a university age teen, Jared (Lucas Hedges; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird, Manchester By The Sea), who’s family sends him to a Arkansas conversion centre in an attempt to overcome his homosexuality. His father (Russell Crowe) is a preacher and his mother (Nicole Kidman) follows his lead like a sheep to the Shepard.
The talent, alongside the cinematography and soundtrack make this film a yellow brick road of emotion, forever throwing in sizeable, unnerving twists and turns. Between the ebbs, there are of course the flows, Jared does eventually shake off his converters and his fathers religious woes, to become a whistleblower of sorts later in life.
Edgerton, who wrote and directed the film, also plays the head-honcho for the church supported conversion programme. In doing so, he portrays the role in a vicious manner. At times his character can be seemingly personable and then he all but switches to an almost satanic, hedonistic persona. This adds so much to the plot, it lends itself to Jared feeling a quicksand effect, with me the audience sinking down with him.
Add Troye Sivan’s dulcet tones into the mix and you’ve got a fabulously emotive exposé. Here’s the soundtrack:
The film ends with a sequence of intense and ridiculous stats (in the sense that those stats don’t belong in the 21st century), about LGBTQ+ and the US’s relationship with them and religion-led conversation therapy.
May I add that it’s refreshing to see the role of a gay man played by person who is open with the fluidity of his sexuality. Something that one can only hope translates to the rest of Hollywood and the world.
To Conclude
This feature deserves a place on everyone’s watch list, I feel it’s an important piece in the battle for equality within the LGBTQ+ community. It’s not daringly shot, but the talent is award worthy and it’ll keep you hooked throughout.
8.5 out of 10.
Stay Hydrated,
