Boy Erased: Nicole Kidman & Lucas Hedges Can Only Do So Much [Telluride Review]

TELLURIDE – “Boy Erased,” which debuted at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival Saturday, is the second major film this year to deal with the subject of conversion therapy. This pseudoscientific practice was also depicted in “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” which, to the surprise of many, won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance in January. Like that period drama, “Boy Erased” has problems depicting the fear, intimidation and psychological trauma such programs can inflict on even the most willing of participants. But that’s likely because, at its core, the film isn’t really about the gay conversion experience.

Based on Garred Conley’s “Boy Erased: A Memoir,’ the film begins with Jared (Lucas Hedges, on the verge of greatness) as an 18-year-old college freshman being escorted to a conversion therapy center by his mother Nancy (Nicole Kidman, killing it). Jared’s understanding is that he’ll spend 12 days as an outpatient to help him learn how to suppress his homosexuality while Nancy reunites with him nightly at a local motel. His father Marshall (Russell Crowe, solid) is a Baptist preacher, and the owner of a local automobile dealership has stupidly taken the advice of two elder church elders in his matter. Marshall also made it clear he cannot see his son living under his roof or working at his dealership if intends to act upon his sinful homosexual thoughts. A fact we initially have to assume, because it isn’t revealed on screen until a flashback about halfway through the picture.

At the facility, Jared finds himself under the guidance of Victor Skyles (Edgerton, thankfully not over the top), whose qualifications or background are never revealed (in fact, we know absolutely nothing about him besides how he interacts with the students). The 12-day schedule will culminate for each participant by having them admit their transgressions in front of the class. As the days go by, Jared becomes skeptical as Skyles’ teachings emphasize blaming the problems of your family (and extended family) for your sexual deviance (and the manual full of spelling errors is a red flag too). And then there are the other students he meets who somehow seem in worse shape than he is.

There’s Jon (Xavier Dolan, invested) who is going on over 23 days without touching someone yet shows up with bruises every day attributed to his father (a revelation so quick you might easily miss it), Sarah (Jesse LaTourette, a blip) the young woman who can barely utter her sins against God, Gary (Troye Sivan, looks like he came from a music video shoot) who after a year of living with another man is “faking it until you make it” and Cameron (Britton Sear, too timid), a former high school football player who is struggling with the entire program. Despite these actors’ best efforts, the students come across more like sketches of characters than well-rounded ones. That’s partially because Skyles uses up so much screen time with his daily lectures.

Eventually, it becomes clear that at the heart of “Boy Erased” is a story about a young man trying to find understanding with his parents over his sexuality. The portions of the film at the center are important (especially if you have little knowledge of them), but Edgerton can’t entirely thread the overall narrative through Jared’s conversion experience. The film’s device of intercutting Jared’s life at school through the aforementioned flashbacks also isn’t as effective as it should be.

Clearly, Edgerton’s intentions are in the right place, but the Aussie filmmaker appears to have been the wrong choice for this material. And, frankly, that’s something of a surprise after that talent he displayed with his excellent debut effort, “The Gift.” The scenes at the conversion center need to have a realistic and grounded tone to convey what many of the patients are experiencing. Instead, like most of the film, it all feels too commercially slick. Or, perhaps “prestige” slick is the term we should use. One particular moment finds Cameron the victim of an intervention that features both physical and emotional abuse. Bizarrely, Edgerton captures this scene in slow motion and lays over a dramatic score in a manner that emotionally disconnects you from the proceedings. What’s strange is there are other times when Edgerton understands the film needs more brazen realism.

Edgerton’s most successful scene centers on Jared’s slightly flirtatious friendship with a college running buddy, Henry (Joe Alwyn, fantastic). Their relationship takes an abrupt turn and Edgerton conveys this in a manner that’s horrifying, and it works because it’s one of the few times the consequences feel shockingly real. That’s in direct contrasts to Jared’s time with Xavier, an artist he meets at a college gallery exhibit. While their one night is supposed to depict a romantic spark between the two men, the scene is all too brief and strangely cold.

The film is at its best when it focuses on the relationship between Jared and Nancy. Hedges is terrific overall, but Kidman often carries the movie in these sequences. She subtly conveys the gnawing pain of a mother who is increasingly unwilling to stand by and let her son be mistreated. Out of all the characters in the film, Nancy has the most distinct and complete arc, and that’s absolutely due to Kidman’s stellar performance.

Suffice to say, there will be audiences that know little of the perils of conversion therapy, and for them, this film might strike a necessary chord. But despite Kidman and Hedges’ best efforts, the picture is pockets of different narratives trying to mesh together into a complete whole. And just like Jared’s attempt to make himself straight, it simply doesn’t work in the long run. [C+]

Check out all our coverage from the 2018 Telluride Film Festival here.