As impressive as Lucas Hedges is in the lead role, and he is, it's the remarkable work of Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman as his parents that I think could be the most groundbreaking.
It would have been easy to paint these two devout Arkansas Christians as over-the-top caricatures, but they're not. They love their son but have a warped view of homosexuality that challenges their compassion and leads them to make unconscionable decisions.
Even the villain of the piece -- played by the film's writer-director -- actor Joel Edgerton is less a figure of pure menace, and more of an absurd charlatan, drunk on his own power (the film pointedly reveals that the dogma the young boys and girls are indoctrinated with is riddled with typos).Perhaps, this is why their has been some criticism of the movies gay conversion scenes, which are frequently more sterile and even humorous than harrowing (although there are upsetting moments to be sure). But like with BlackkKlansman, I think Edgerton is rightly conveying the ignorance of these haters, not turning them into forceful foes but exposing them as the pathetic, scared men that they are.
Everything in this movie is handled with delicacy, realism and sensitivity. For instance, the Hedges' character's self actualization of his sexual identity is complicated and at times ugly. He enters therapy wanting to change, not necessarily fighting it.
The story unfolds in chilling fashion (it's based on the memoir of the protagonist Garrard Manley) and makes plain how toxic mixing religious fervor with hate can be, as well as how psychologically destructive shame can be.
Following his stellar work on and in The Gift, this films cements Edgerton's status as a major filmmaker. He never overplays a moment here, and doesn't shy away from letting emotional moments hit you in both subtle and sensational ways. There are scenes here that contain some of the best work Kidman and Crowe have ever done, so much so, that they're occasionally wavering Southern accents are barely a distraction.
It could have been a screed or a polemic, but it is neither. It does end with a chilling title card that reminds viewers that 36 states still permit facilities like the one the Hedges character is sent to, which means that there's state-sanctioned child abuse in at least 36 states.
However, because the story in no way judges Christianity or paints its subjects with too broad a brush, I think it could earn more mainstream acceptance. I kept thinking, this is a movie that demands to be seen by perhaps not virulent homophobes (who will likely not be moved in the slightest by it) but by those fence sitters, who are uncomfortable with LGBT culture and people, but are persuadable.
Of course, it is no one's responsibility to educate these people not to hate. They ought to seek out the knowledge on their own, as well as reach out to people in that community to develop a better understanding of them.
But it would be naive to understate how effective movies like this can be. It had me in tears thinking about my own relationship with my parents, and how hard it can be to break any private truth to them, no matter how significant.
It was just over 10 years ago that snickering jokes were being made left and right about Brokeback Mountain, and now this film arrives and thankfully mainstream culture has advanced enough that virulent homophobia is no longer openly tolerated by much of the public -- now, the challenge is excising the hate that exists privately in many peoples' hearts.
And I do believe, in some small way, Boy Erased -- which is one of the best movies I've seen this year -- will contribute to some peoples' growth.
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