Boy Erased

Boy Erased
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joel Edgerton
Produced by
Written by
  • Joel Edgerton
Based on Boy Erased
by Garrard Conley
Starring
Music by
  • Danny Bensi
  • Saunder Jurriaans
Cinematography Eduard Grau
Edited by Jay Rabinowitz
Production
company
Distributed by Focus Features
Release date
Running time
 114 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Boy Erased is a 2018 American coming-of-age drama film based on Garrard Conley's 2016 memoir of the same name. It is written for the screen and directed by Joel Edgerton, who also produces with Kerry Kohansky Roberts and Steve Golin. The film stars Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Edgerton, and follows the son of Baptist parents who is forced to take part in a gay conversion therapy program.

The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2018, its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2018, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 2, 2018, by Focus Features.

Premise

Jared Eamons[lower-alpha 1] (Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) as gay at the age of 19. Jared is quickly pressured into attending a gay conversion therapy program – or else be shunned by his family, friends, and church. It is within the program that Jared comes into conflict with its head therapist (Joel Edgerton).[2]

Cast

  • Lucas Hedges as Jared Eamons, Marshall and Nancy's son who is discovering his sexual orientation (based on Garrard Conley)
  • Nicole Kidman as Nancy Eamons, Jared's mother and Marshall's wife
  • Russell Crowe as Marshall Eamons, Jared's father and Nancy's husband, a Baptist pastor
  • Joel Edgerton as Victor Sykes, the head therapist at a gay conversion therapy program
  • Joe Alwyn as Henry
  • Xavier Dolan as Jon, a fellow gay man in the conversion program
  • Troye Sivan as Gary, a fellow gay man in the conversion program
  • Cherry Jones as Dr. Muldoon
  • Flea as Brandon
  • Madelyn Cline as Chloe
  • Emily Hinkler as Lee
  • Jesse LaTourette as Sarah
  • David Joseph Craig as Michael
  • Théodore Pellerin as Xavier
  • Britton Sear as Cameron
  • Matt Burke as Simon
  • David Ditmore as Phillip

Production

Garrard Conley and Joel Edgerton at Telluride Film Festival.

On June 8, 2017, it was revealed that a bidding war had begun between Netflix, Annapurna Pictures, Focus Features, and Amazon Studios for distribution rights to a film package that would star Lucas Hedges and Joel Edgerton, with Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe and be directed and written by Edgerton and based on the provocative memoir titled Boy Erased: A Memoir.[3] On June 21, 2017, it was announced that the bidding war for distribution rights for Boy Erased had boiled down to Netflix and Focus Features and the latter ultimately won the rights.[2]

In the press release, director Joel Edgerton spoke proudly of the project, stating:

I'm excited to work with an ensemble of actors, seasoned and new, to bring Garrard's story to the screen. I think Focus is the perfect partner on this, and I will always thank Garrard for trusting my passion for his life story. I can't think of a better reason to get behind the camera again.[4]

In August 2017, the majority of the supporting cast was announced.[5] In September 2017, Joe Alwyn and Madelyn Cline joined the supporting cast as well[6][7] and principal photography on the film began September 8, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia.[8][9] In April 2018, re-shoots took place.[10][11][12]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2018.[13][14] It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, first for the press and industry on September 8, 2018, and then for the public on September 11, 12, and 15.[15] The film was scheduled for a wide release on September 28, 2018,[16] but this was pushed back to November 2, 2018.[17].

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Anchored in empathy by writer-director-star Joel Edgerton, Boy Erased proves the road to complex, powerfully performed drama can also be paved with good intentions."[18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19]

Notes

  1. ↑ In the film, Conley's character is renamed Jared Eamons.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Sinha-Roy, Piya (May 21, 2018). "How Joel Edgerton's new movie Boy Erased tackles gay conversion controversy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Fleming Jr, Mike (June 21, 2017). "Focus Lands Joel Edgerton's 'Boy Erased'; Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman Star". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (June 8, 2017). "Joel Edgerton To Direct, Lucas Hedges To Star In Gay Deprogram Drama 'Boy Erased'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  4. ↑ McNary, Dave (June 21, 2017). "Focus Features Buys Joel Edgerton's Drama 'Boy Erased'". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (August 30, 2017). "Cherry Jones, Michael "Flea" Balzary Join Joel Edgerton's 'Boy Erased'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  6. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (September 8, 2017). "Camille Guaty Joins 'Nappily Ever After'; 'Boy Erased' Adds Madelyn Cline; Mark O'Brien Cast In 'How It Ends'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ Kroll, Justin (September 8, 2017). "'Billy Lynn' Star Joe Alwyn Joins Russell Crowe in 'Boy Erased,' Oscar Isaac in 'Operation Finale' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Joe Alwyn Joins the Cast of Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased". ComingSoon.net. September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  9. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (June 21, 2017). "Joel Edgerton to Write, Produce Coming-Out Drama 'Boy Erased'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ↑ P.King, Kevin (April 24, 2018). "CL Casting BOY ERASED RESHOOT Seeking a few boys ages 18-35 Any Ethnicity Seeking people with cars 2004 or older". The Southern Casting Call. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Nicole Kidman's "Boy Erased" Casting Re-Shoots". 2018castingcalls.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  12. ↑ Caldwell, Mary (April 25, 2018). "Now casting: Nicole Kidman film seeking men, older cars". AJC.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  13. ↑ Tapley, Kristopher (August 30, 2018). "'First Man,' 'Front Runner' and 'Roma' Among 2018 Telluride Film Festival Selections". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Telluride Film Festival Program Guide" (PDF). Telluride Film Festival. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Boy Erased". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  16. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 27, 2017). "'Mary, Queen Of Scots', 'Boy Erased' & 'The Little Stranger': Focus Features Dates Trio For Next Fall". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  17. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 2, 2018). "Focus Features Changes Dates For 'Boy Erased' & 'On The Basis Of Sex' In The Fall-Holiday Window". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Boy Erased". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Boy Erased Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
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