Boy Erased

Yet another anticipated film from an actor-turned-director is Boy Erased, the work of Golden Globe nominee Joel Edgerton, who wrote and stars in the film.

The flick follows the recently outed son of a Baptist preacher, Jared (Lucas Hedges), after he’s forced to partake in the church’s gay conversion program. Based on the critically acclaimed memoir by Garrard Conley, Boy Erased features an all-star cast which, in addition to Hedges and Edgerton, boasts Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe

Clearly comes from a place of respect, but it's emotionally unengaging and rather dull

Congress should oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage. Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexual's [sic] as a "discreet [sic] and insular minority" entitled to the protection of anti-discrimination laws similar to those extended to women and ethnic minorities. Congress should support the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act only after completion of an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus. Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.

– Mike Pence (current Vice President of the United States); Campaign statement when running for Congress, 2001

Boy Erased is one of those films it seems almost churlish to criticise for its formal aspects, given that it obviously comes from a place of deep respect, has genuinely laudable intentions (albeit with one eye on award season), and says something undeniably important and just. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton (who also stars and produces), the film is based on Garrard Conley's Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family (2016), the true story of his experiences with conversation therapy in Arkansas in 2004. In a political climate where progressive thinking seems to be backsliding more and more, given the regressive beliefs of many of those in power, one should celebrate a film which highlights the barbaric concept of enforcing heteronormative social mores by way of psychological, and often physical, abuse. However, simply because a film has good intentions, it doesn't necessarily follow that it's a good film, and Boy Erased is such an example; a film whose aims can be praised, but whose...