Boy Erased [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray] [2018]

As someone who constantly wrestles with their faith if not necessarily the belief in a higher power, one of the lessons I've personally come to learn in life thus far is that, despite many a country songs telling you to "stand for something or you'll fall for anything," the truth of the matter is that to so deeply steep yourself in one set of beliefs is to ultimately guarantee that you'll eventually (in all likelihood) become a hypocrite. Human beings naturally evolve, we continuously experience new things, and gain greater perspectives on any number of situations all of which inform an ever-developing outlook on the world and the people that populate it. To be so stubborn as to try and categorize these present experiences and interpretations of life through the prism of a single piece of literature written over two thousand years ago only seems counter-intuitive to the abilities and intelligence God has blessed us with, not to mention a rather stressful way to frame ones existence; having to make sure what is inherently felt as right or wrong is supported by doctrine whose composers couldn't have imagined the world or society as it presently stands. There is so much clout given to these rules that outline what our behavior should be that people seem to often lose sight of that inherent voice-your conscious, God himself, whatever you want to label it-that really lets you know when something is right and when something is wrong regardless of what anyone or anything else's stance on the subject might be. That is not to say the Bible isn't helpful, of course it can be and is to millions upon billions of people across the globe, and this is not to imply there aren't certain absolutes of decency that can or should be swayed, but what is being suggested is that to commit so strongly to a single set of ideals is to also make one fear change. To fear change is to stop growing. And to stop growing is to willfully succumb to a limited or narrow view of the world. It is this conflict that Russell Crowe's Marshall Eamons, a Southern Baptist preacher living in Arkansas, faces in director Joel Edgerton's second feature, Boy Erased, when his teenage son is forcibly outed as gay.

Boy Erased is based on the true story about Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges), son of a pastor (Russel Crowe) and a religious mother (Nicole Kidman), who comes out as gay. His parents then send him to a program to “correct his problem”. I’ve been waiting for this movie for quite some time because this seems to be the year where films can address these topics. Also it was just nominated for two Golden Globes and probably one more come Oscar season if Nicole gets the nomination for Best Supporting Actress rather than her lead in Destroyer. I loved this movie! It was so good! Beautiful direction and screenplay (he also wrote it with Garrard Conley, the real man who went through this. He changed the names in the film) by Joel Edgerton. It’s a story that really needs to be told. People need to know these “camps” existed and people went through this. It was heartbreaking, emotional, and beautiful. Lucas Hedges just made his best performance of his career, earning a Golden Globe nomination. It’s hard to say if he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Nicole Kidman did a very good job and deserves a nomination for her performance. Russel Crowe and Joel Edgerton did great with their roles too. The 1:55 minutes flew by so fast and I didn’t want it to end. There’s so much to be said about the film but I don’t want to spoil it. There’s one really powerful scene at the program that I just thought was beautiful how it was executed. I just wanted to throw my food at the screen because I got so flustered (it would’ve been fine because it was only us three there). Also this movie needs more of an audience because it’s so good. The cinematography was good. The score was amazing (much better than A Quiet Place which I don’t know how it was nominated for Best Original Score for the Golden Globes). The editing was good. It was just so good. I only had one problem with the movie. Towards the end something major and heartbreaking happened and I thought they would talk about it more. Instead they did a big time skip which I was really mad about. Other than that I think everyone should see this movie. You will most definitely not be disappointed! My Grade: A

Boy Erased is a wonderful film that falls short of depth. Lucas Hedges turns in a bravura performance as the struggling son to prove his true sexual identity against all odds. The film's content falls short of depicting the torment and real horror of the futile attempt to erase one's homosexuality and turn him straight through a tortuous school of change, made even more unreal in being led by a charlatan who himself is a repressed homosexual. It fails by again creating a character as gay who is a villain and foil. Tell it like it is, but this is another Hollywood sidestepping the issue. Lucas Hedges performance as the gay son saves this film from being just another Hollywood movie that just touches on a sensitive subject. Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman turn in effective performances, but it's Hedges who saves this movie.

Great story although sad to know that to this day, there are stl transformation schools to "cure" homosexuals. It's outrages, but i still enjoyed this movie, it's ry good and it gives an idea of what type of life some homosexuals have to live. It's a sad true to acknowledge that parents sometimes protect more the religion they follow rather their children. Highly recommend this movie, it is about a gay boy who is forced to go to a school to be "cured".

I hadn't seen this movie at the cinema, but other people had seen it and said it was well-done. I bought it on the hope that it would be. I was not disappointed. The story is based on the actual events of Jared Eamons- a gay youth living in a conservative Christian family. It chronicles the events of going through gay conversion therapy - a harmful process. People need to see this film so they can see how brutal conversion therapy really is.

A teen ager who has spent his whole life trying to live up to the expectations of his fundamentalist Christian parents has to confront the fact that he's gay, and survive a stint in a behavior modification program. Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe as mother and father do a great job as parents who have to come to understand their son, and the young actor playing the son is completely believable in his convictions about who he is.

Difficult to watch and see what amounts to the emotional and physical abuse in the name of God. I am a Christian and I am abhorred by what I see as the criminality of what is called "conversion therapy". No matter what a person's views are on any issue, torture of the mind. sprit , and soul is never an excuse for remedy. A valuable and important movie to see. Excellent acting all the wat around.

The film Boy Erased is a memoir account of a teenager going through the destructive and cult-like organization Love In Action. LIA is not about love, but hate. Because of his book and film, as well as, other accounts of this reparative therapy, the very practice has fallen under scrutiny and being made illegal in many parts of the country. Praise for this movie.