Honey Boy stars Lucas Hedges as Otis, a young actor in 2005 with alcoholism who is forced to enter rehab, where his therapist, played by Laura San Giacomo, discovers he has PTSD from his childhood trauma. Otis recounts his time in 1995 where he, now played by Noah Jupe, was working as a child actor, living with his unpredictable father James, played by Shia LaBeouf. As Otis recounts his time with the manic and aggressive James, it begins to take its toll on his time in rehab, as he attempts to find self-discovery.
The film marks the narrative feature debut of documentary director Alma Har’el but is written by LaBeouf himself, with the story essentially being a retelling of his own life, with him taking on the role of his own father. With such a personal attachment to the story, LaBeouf is in top form here, bringing out much of the complexity that plagued his father, and in turn, his own childhood. He’s someone who did care for his son to some degree, but was too haunted by his demons and his manic, aggressive personality to ever truly be the proper father-figure he should have been.
The film acts as sort of a cinematic therapy for LaBeouf, who fills the screenplay with brutal honesty and brings a truly raw energy to his performance. The language is unbelievably harsh, and the relationship between father and son is often strained, spread so thin that Otis is already so emotionally broken by the halfway point. There are moments where LaBeouf tries easing the tension with a truly dark sense of humor in some of the conversations. And while they do get an uncomfortable laugh, everything said just continuously adds fuel to the emotional fire.
Jupe is absolutely great as the younger Otis, and his various attempts at trying to salvage his relationship with his father are often heartbreaking, and he’s often pushed to his limits. He tries holding in the severe amount of trauma he experiences in each scene, and is often on the verge of an emotional breakdown every time he gets swept up in one of James’ episodes. There’s a particularly heartbreaking moment where he’s on the phone with his mother and has to play middle-man between her and James as they scream at each other. Jupe expresses a wide range of emotions in a matter of minutes, and really shows off his incredible potential as of one of the industry’s biggest up-and-coming actors.
Hedges also does a really solid job as the older Otis, though admittedly these scenes don’t come together as well as they should have. LaBeouf has stated in interviews there was an air of “selfishness” when writing the movie, and there are times it feels like the film was written more for him than to really connect with audiences, which is mostly evident in the adult-Otis sequences. While these sequences are engaging in their own right, there’s an often disjointed feel as the flashbacks don’t really connect directly to anything in particular during the present-day scenes.
The film at times feels like a series of vignettes, mainly when it comes to the flashbacks. While they all take place in the same year, it is over the course of an undisclosed period of time in said year, and some events don’t directly relate to the next. It’s almost like this dark version of a “slice of life” movie where there’s not really a particular overarching narrative, but instead just a series of moments. And because of that, they don’t tie neatly into the present day sequences, leaving the narrative to not be as strong at times.
Still, this film does capture the emotional intensity of a fractured, complex relationship between father and son, and that will certainly resonate well with many viewers. The idea of trying to hold onto an abusive relationship for the small amount of good it may bring is a deeply effective narrative, and it makes for moments that are truly unnerving, while still packing an emotional wallop. There’s a deeply personal feel to this film with a relatable story that will get audiences invested all the way through the end.
Honey Boy isn’t always an easy film to watch, but it’s an emotionally powerful story about a broken relationship between father and son, and its lasting effects. While narratively it can be a bit disjointed at times, it contains one of Shia LaBeouf’s finest performances, serving as a way for him to really pour his heart out and show just how fragile his life was growing up. It’s a deeply personal story with great performances and a fascinating story that makes for a chilling, though often emotional, experience.
Recommendation: Watch It
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