Review of Honey Boy (2019) by Compi24 — 17 Dec 2019

The keystone, nay, the crown jewel in modern society's long-standing obsession with the borderline mythic construct of what we all consider Shia LaBeouf to be. Devoted performance artist to the very end, psychologically unwell egomaniac, or an honest to God broken human being looking to figure himself out just like the rest of us -- whatever your opinion of the man is, "Honey Boy" will work as something of a companion piece to it.

More importantly, though, it's a deeply upsetting and impactful portrayal of a bankrupt relationship between a father and his son, and the litany of morally perverse push/pull mechanisms layered therein, featuring a revelatory, career-best performance from the true-to-life subject at the center of everything -- LaBeouf himself.

Taking on the role of the complex and layered quasi-tormentor that inflicted so much intentional and unintentional damage upon him throughout his own childhood, some may call this the ultimate act of self-indulgence on the part of LaBeouf.

I simply see it as someone desperately trying to sort through their past, so as to construct some semblance of a better future. Add in some stark camerawork and imagery from narrative filmmaking newcomer Alma Har'el and you have one of the year's most metaphysically gratifying, emotionally gripping character studies.

To be quite honest, I'd even venture to call it a masterpiece.