Boy Erased

Boy Erased

Director: Joel Edgerton Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe 

A well intentioned, though rather conventional film, inspired by a true story of a boy, (Lucas Hedges) son of a small-town church pastor (Russel Crowe) who’s been sent to a conversion therapy program to “cleanse him of his homosexuality”. However absurd the story sounds a chilling caption at the end of the film reminds us that 36 states in America still allow conversion therapy to be practiced on minors and to this day, more that 700.000 LGBTQ Americans have been “affected” by convention therapy.In fact I have seen another recent film about the same subject called “the miseducation of Cameron post” (with Cloe Grace Moretz). That film (which by no means was a masterpiece) used comedy to highlight the absurdity of these conversion centres. This one plays it absolutely straight (No pun intended) and it’s pure drama but somehow it seems to lack some of the edge of the other film and doesn’t quite manage to be as punchy as it should be that this subject would require it to be, often falling into cliches.Ironically the strongest moment in the film happens right at the end in the caption that I have mentioned above. Having said there are some powerful tender and emotional moments here and there and it’s defiantly a film which deserves to be talked about and to be seen.

Its true power lays in the acting and especially with the splendid performance by Lucas Hedges who at only 25 is shaping up to be one of the best actors of his generation with a resume of pretty much only good films. His sensitive performance is subtle and multi-layered and definitely lifts the film and made it work for me, so much so that I have to confess, the scene at the end with Russel Crowe had me in tears.

On Netflix.