Boy Erased Movie Review - A stirring testament

Still from the trailer

Boy Erased

U/A: Biography, Drama
Director: Joel Edgerton
Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton, Cherry Jones
Rating:

This film adapted by Director Joel Edgerton from Garrard Conley's memoir with the same name, highlights the struggle of Jared Eamons(Lucas Hedges), the son of a small-town Baptist pastor Marshall Eamons(Russell Crowe) and Nancy(Nicole Kidman), who gets outed to his parents at age 19 and is challenged with undergoing gay conversion therapy program or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends and faith.

Jared's coming out journey replete with agitation and reconciliation is portrayed here in a nuanced form and articulated with all its complexities and Lucas Hedges makes it real. Marshall, who owns a Ford dealership, is a religious man whose decisions are governed by the elite from his faith. The film juxtaposes blind faith against bigoted perceptions about sexuality aiming at a genteel expose of the rigid underbelly of people who follow a sort of disciplinarian code that violates the very nature of who we are as human beings. Mr. Sykes(Joel Edgerton) of Love in Action and the senior pastors of the church represent that mindset and it's only Jared inner belief that allows him to break free of the oppression he is subjected to in the name of religious beliefs. Scenes in the conversion facility are portrayed to sharp effect. Rock musician Flea plays a menacing group leader while the other kids in the program - played by Xavier Dolan, Britton Sear, Jesse Latourette, and others - lend credibility to the effort by their differing perspectives on the indoctrination program.

Watch the trailer here:

"Boy Erased" is targeted at parents who are in denial about their child's sexuality and those who think that a conditioning camp might well be able to change that god given orientation. Nicole Kidman's Nancy hauntingly brings forward the dilemma she faces as a mother and a believer while Russell Crowe's Marshall Eamons' is a superbly measured take that progresses towards a turbulent realization. This film is a delicately navigated, tempered drama that conveys much more because of its minimalist affectation.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates