Boy Erased
2018 · Directed by Joel Edgerton
Original language: English
- drama
The story
Jared, the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, is outed to his parents at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a gay conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith.
What it’s like
Cool, washed-out daylight and muted browns and greys give this drama of a Southern college town and a church family a restrained, almost clinical look, with hushed interiors, tight static framing and long held silences that let discomfort build. The fluorescent-lit rooms of the treatment program feel sterile and airless, and the sparse, mournful score rarely rises above a low hum. Its vibe is quiet dread and hard-won tenderness, suited to a focused evening rather than background viewing. The pace is deliberate and the emotional register stays sober and watchful as a young man, pressured by his devout parents, slowly finds the nerve to question what he has been told about himself. Intensity is moderate: there is emotional cruelty throughout, and one brief, disturbing sexual assault scene; violence is sudden rather than gory, and the menace is psychological. It is not a gentle watch. It suits viewers drawn to serious, character-driven stories about faith, family and identity, who are ready for distress handled with care.
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