Boy Erased | Film Review

Hey Guys x

This was a film that had been on my 'to watch' list since last year. Not only did it have one of my favourite actors, Lucas Hedges, but it was about an issue that I didn't know that much about, but definitely wanted to learn more - Conversion Therapy.

Jared Eamons has extremely religious parents (including a Pastor father), so when he is outed as gay, his parents have to connect the son that they love with the religion that they've spent their whole lives following. Their solution to this problem? Sending their son into a Conversion Therapy program.

As much as I enjoyed this film (and I really did enjoy it), I have to say that it's a lot more distressing than I was expecting.

First of all, it's extremely heavy from it's first second on screen.This sets the tone for the rest of the film, and kind of hammers into you over and over again that it's not for the purpose of entertainment or escapism. So keep this in mind before going to see it! As stated, I didn't know that much about Conversion Therapy, so I didn't really know what to expect (and I certainly didn't expect the horrific scene that happened about 35 minutes in), but it was much darker, and again distressing, than I thought it would be.

What interested me the most about the film, rather than these particular characters, was the realities of Conversion Therapy; that it still exists, and that certain churches still support it and encourage it. After watching the film, I did a quick search (just in the UK) and one of the first google search results was a fully functioning centre for Conversion Therapy - they just didn't call it that, they called it 'Reparative Therapy'. The whole thing is bullshit, the fact that it is still happening today is bullshit, the fact that people think you can 'pray away the gay' is bullshit, and this film puts these issues front and center - even if it leaves a bad taste in the audience's mouths.

I do have to talk about the actors, and the amazing work they did on the film, starting with Joel Edgerton, who as well as being one of the main actors, also directed it, produced it and wrote it (based on a book by Garrard Conley). It also included Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe as Jared's parents, and they did an amazing job. But I have to give major props to Lucas Hedges, who was incredible in this film, and is one of the most underrated young actors working right now.

This film is a thought-provoking, eye-opening look at an issue that isn't talked about enough. But in addition to the issue of Conversion Therapy, it also brings up extremely interesting questions about unconditional love, family and religion.

Overall, because of the distressing nature of this film, I can't recommend it to everyone. Some will be triggered, some will really not take to it. But if you can handle the subject matter, and harsher aspects of the life of a gay boy living in a small religious town, then definitely see this movie!

7.5/10

Lou