Boy Erased Review
Joel Edgerton returns to the directing chair after his 2015 directorial debut of The Gift with a very poignant film that's based on a true story about faith, family, and gay conversion therapy. Jared, played by Lucas Hedges, is trying to figure out who he is in the world and over the course of his budding young adult life he begins to understand that he is gay. His father, played by Russell Crowe, is a preacher and forces his son to choose between abandonment or change upon hearing this. Jared chooses change and is placed at Love In Action, a gay conversion therapy program.
The film plays with narrative a bit when trying to construct what led Jared to this place in his life. Starting off with Jared arriving at Love in Action and working backwards via his notebook of "sins" the film carefully constructs Jared's influences, both good and bad, as ghosts he has to come to terms with and understand. Through that process it allows Jared to really figure out who he is as a person, and really stand up for himself by the end of the film when the emotional floodgates have opened.
While gay conversion therapy is at the center of this particular story it is not necessarily what this film is about. There are documentaries and other movies that deal with the gritty reality of gay conversion programs, but here it's represented as a place where Jared comes to face how the world thinks of him. It separates him from his family, teaches him how "real" men act, and it confronts who they are in a way to break your emotional core. Jared meets and sees different men and how they've come to accept this therapy. One of them has been in and out, but keeps the faith that something is wrong with him and that he needs to change while another boy fakes it and is riding it out until he can go live on his own. These different faces, and perspectives, help inform Jared what his future could be like and gives him a chance to decide what he wants to do.
All of the performances in this were great. Lucas Hedges is once again wonderful, and takes an interesting approach, as do many of the other boys in the program, as to how he doesn't portray his character in stereotypes. There are many moments and decisions that could have made this film lesser, but it was smart for the boys to act like regular people, because that reflects the world we live in more than Hollywood's feminine archetype that has graced the silver screen for decades. Russell Crowe also pulls off a tremendous performance, especially when he's in so little of the movie, and his and Jared's conversation at the end will pull on everyone's heartstrings with how emotional and powerful it plays out.
Speaking about Crowe, this movie is as much about a father not understanding his son as it is a son's coming of age story. Crowe's character arc is strong as he starts at the top as a preacher, servant of God, trying to help his son in the only way he knows how and not realizing he's putting his son in an impossible situation by asking if he thinks he should still be a part of the family. Then, at the end you can tell how his decision has affected his life, wife, and broken relationship with his son and how much he regrets it. He deserved everything that has happened to him, but seeing the two roles switched as Jared is telling him how things will play out in the end is quite emotional.
Overall, Joel Edgerton has crafted an emotional story that has multiple layers while tackling a big discussion topic. He pulls forth fantastic performances, even from himself as he plays the Chief therapist, from all his cast and he really keeps the light on Jared as he has to confront his guilt, "sins," and self. No doubt this'll be up for awards come this season, and it deserves them.
8/10
