Cinephile № 834 “Honey Boy”

Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Plot: “A young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health.” -IMBD

Review: I have never watched a movie quite like “Honey Boy.” On its surface, it is a narrative about a twenty-something-year-old actor (Lucas Hedges as Otis) who is out of control. From the very beginning, we can tell he is wrestling with untamed demons from his past. To understand the choices he is currently making, we are taken back to the beginning and meet a child (Noah Jupe as Otis) who is pushed too hard by his father (Shia LaBeouf as James). This is where the story gets really interesting because this movie is inspired by real-life events from Shia LaBeouf’s time as a child actor. Much of what we are experiencing on the screen, he endured at the hands of his father as he was beginning his career. This approach to storytelling is the most courageous piece of cinema I saw last year.

James, for his part, is a really complicated man. At times, he can be really loving and supportive. Within moments of doing something any decent father would do, a switch can flip, and he can become abusive, violent, and a self-imposed victim of martyrdom. For Otis, this means constantly walking on eggshells and loneliness expressed by many child actors. As we watch him navigate…