When he is forcibly outed by his parents, the son of a
​Baptist preacher is sent to a gay conversion program.

DRAMA

Boy Erased (2018)

Written and Directed by Joel Edgerton

Starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe,
Joel Edgerton, Madelyn Cline, David Joseph Craig,
​Devin Michael, Victor McKay, Jesse LaTourette

Based on the memoir by Garrard Conley

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Austin Johnson

November 30, 2018

9/10

Joel Edgerton has taken on the tall task of writing, directing, and acting once again. We saw him do in it in 2015 with the eerie film, The Gift. Now, in 2018, he challenges himself even more with a film that won’t make a ton of noise at the box office, but will certainly have an impact on those who see it. Boy Erased is based on a real man’s life, a real man’s journey that contains obstacles that just shouldn’t be in the way of someone trying to figure s**t out.

I have to point out that our main character, Jared, is played by Lucas Hedges, who seems to be f**king everywhere. Manchester By the Sea, Three Billboards, Lady Bird, Mid90’s, Ben is Back, and all at age 21. He’s backed by Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe portraying his religious parents, and then Joel Edgerton filling the role of his counselor at a conversion therapy facility.

It’s not hard to tell what this film is about when seeing the trailer, but that is not the point at all. This story is very much about the journey and not the destination. Jared has all kinds of religious opinions hitting him as hard as they can, while trying to remain true to who he really is. The meat of this story contains the problems that come along with teaching our youth that only one path is there for the taking. Teaching the youth that if these rules are broken, you must admit you are weak and sinful. It’s a very interesting look on how far people will go to make sure that people follow what they believe to be right.

We get absolute world class acting out of this film, and a story to carry with us forever. A story like this is so relevant to our society, and some people don’t ever get to tell their story how they want to. Sometimes, we all need someone to speak up with us or for us. This film speaks loudly and I hope it reaches more people as time goes on.