Joel Edgerton directs Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges in Boy Erased. Based on Garrard Conley‘s memoir, “Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family"
Synopsis:
The son of a baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program.
Hedges plays the son, with Kidman and Crowe as his parents. Edgerton stars as well, as the therapist leading the gay conversion program.
Powerful stuff. Got the Whiplash vibe I was hoping for with Edgerton's character. This is the kind of movie I love seeing these actors in. One of my most anticipated for the rest of the year.
An emotional wallop of a movie. It is more than just a movie about discrimination against homosexuality. It is a movie that examines human behaviour, trying to make meaning of where it comes from, and what it means when we inherit it. There's a scene with Hedges and Crowe near the end that will leave you in tatters. My only criticisms with the movie is that it jumps around in time a lot, and you didn't know where some scenes fit in terms of the timeline of the narrative. Also, there is a scene that was borderline gratuitous, but makes sense within the context of the movie. Egerton is becoming the new Affleck in regards to an actor making the transition to director; he's 2 - 0.
