Boy Erased

Oscar season is in full swing and with it comes the usual slate of films heavy on the ‘for your consideration’ moments. Actors deliver moving monologues directly to camera, screenwriters weave in and out of multiple timelines and directors stage fancy tracking shots. There is saccharine on the nose music and painfully literal use of acoustic versions of anachronistic pop songs. And the message. There is always a timely message that is supposed to make Hollywood A-listers feel like they are making the world a better place (looking at you George Clooney).

On the surface, Boy Erased, Joel Edgerton’s second feature as a writer/director feels like more of the same. Adapted from Garrard Conley’s autobiographical book of the same name, the movie tells the coming out story of a closeted gay son of a Baptist priest in an ultra-conservative community of Arkansas. The son, Jared, played by Lucas Hedges of “Manchester by the Sea” fame slowly begins to discover his sexuality as he maneuvers the final years of high school. A traumatic event in college leads to his secret being exposed to his parents Marshall and Nancy played by the director’s fellow Aussies Russel Crowe and Nicole Kidman. Marshall, deeply shaken by the revelation, decides to send Jared to a gay conversion therapy center run by a Nurse Ratched inspired bible thumping counselor, Victor, played by Joel Edgerton. The story then follows Jared’s turbulent journey through the program.

What sets Boy Erased apart from other films of similar ilk, is its strong cast and well drawn three-dimensional human characters. Where a lesser film might just focus on Jared, Boy Erased somehow manages to not only introduce but also fully flesh out several other members enrolled in the program. These characters all come from diverse backgrounds, have vastly different experiences while at the facility and resort to unique methods to cope with their internal confusion and emotional turmoil. The standouts amongst this group of supporting players are the burly football player Cameron (Britton Spear), the timid lesbian girl Sarah (Jesse LaTourette), the shell-shocked young boy Jon (Xavier Dolan) and Gary (Troy Sivan) who is willing to “fake till he makes it”. Jared’s interactions with his fellow, for a lack of a better word, inmates, are authentically written and beautifully directed by Edgerton who really gets to show off his craft in this movie. He has seamlessly moved from directing a thriller in 2015s “The Gift” to this hard-hitting family drama. Scenes that would otherwise be grotesque and played for shock value are instead handled with real delicacy and grace. Edgerton’s directing is all the more impressive considering he also plays the character who is the central antagonizing force of the piece. Though not revolutionary, his performance adequately conveys the character’s motivations and ambitions which prevents it from becoming a caricature of the homo[hobic redneck.

The real strength of the movie, though, lies in its depiction of Jared’s relationship with his parents especially his mother. Nicole Kidman once again reminds everyone why she is one of the best actresses of her generation. Yes, she has the big speech and the emotional outburst which make for good awards show clips. But more than that it was her silent portrayal of a woman devoted equally to God, husband, and son that puts this performance up there with the best of this year. Kidman fully realizes this internal conflict with little more than a glance here or a smile there. Russel Crowe, on the other hand, is more reserved (some might say one note) as the hard-lined pastor of the local church but he too gets his moments to shine, particularly when he gets to share scenes with Lucas Hedges who is quickly becoming one of the most promising rising stars of the independent film circuit. Already an Oscar nominee, Lucas Hedges, gives another stunningly nuanced performance as he captures both the fear of being different in an intolerant society and the confidence that comes with learning to love yourself for who you are.

Having said all that, Boy Erased is no Brokeback Mountain or Moonlight. It is self-indulgent in places; some shots are a little too prestige-y and there are a couple of artsy transitions into flashbacks that are particularly cringe-worthy. The message is also not the most subtle and might be predictable for the woke coastal liberals. Nevertheless, there is plenty here for those, both young and old, who are currently or have in the past struggled with coming out to their families. The charismatic cast and sharp writing mean that the movie is just as captivating and moving as it is poignant and important.