Review of Honey Boy (2019) by The3Academysins — 24 Nov 2019

I found Honey Boy to be an incredibly transcending film. Calling it a movie almost doesn't do it justice. At times its a meditation. At times it a funeral dirge. At other points, its an exorcism. Its performance art, and its the most accessible performance art that Shia LaBeouf has created to date.

Honey Boy is one of the most emotionally visceral experiences I have had in theaters this year. I think I felt every single emotion while watching this ultimately broken father and son relationship. Shia LaBeouf's performance as his own father is incredible, and every movement and line he delivers is incredibly specific and purposeful. If you're like me, and you know a lot about Shia's history and life, you will recognize a lot of the scenes from stories he has told about his childhood.

Lucas Hedges comes out of left field with a nearly-perfect take on adult Shia LaBeouf. Noah Jupe as the young Otis, as Shia LaBeouf's character is called in the movie, is heartbreakingly vulnerable. There is not a weak performance from anyone in the cast.

This is a beautiful, incredibly moving film. It's hard to watch the abuse and neglect at a lot of points, but every character is so well developed that its easy to even find empathy with the father character. This is a project that was incredibly important to everyone involved, and it shows.