A young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health.
A car accident resulting in a third DUI charge forces Otis (Lucas Hedges)into a halfway house where he undergoes therapy to get to the root of his inner issues. As he avoids going deep into his traumatic childhood, Dr. Moreno (Laura San Giacomo) encourages him to talk about his abusive father. As a professional actor, Otis has learned to use his pain to transform into his characters, but when he has to face himself and learn to release the very pain that fuels him, his most difficult journeys of all begins.
12-year-old Otis (Noah Jupe) struggles to make sense of his intense relationship with his father James (Shia LaBeouf) who not only suffers from PTSD but is also a recovering drug addict. The constant abuse Otis receives from his father is not only physical but comes in the form of praise, then the verbal tearing down his self-esteem and worth. An altercation erupts when Otis demands that James starts behaving like a real father since the father-son dynamic is reversed as Otis financially supports their lifestyle. This scene becomes a pivotal moment in the film as James finally opens up about his abusive childhood and the shame he carries feeling he never made anything of his life. Otis is also forced to acknowledge the faults that encourage some of the dysfunction in the relationship stemming from him putting down his father and reminding him that he is merely his employee.
Lonely and broken, Otis finds friendship in a prostitute (FKA Twigs) who lives in his apartment complex who is not only sympathetic and kind towards him but sees herself in him as well. The complex son-father relationship forever stays with Otis as he finally decides as an adult to face who he has become and who he wants to be because of it.
I thought this film was beautifully done, it not only captured the essence of the very complications many of us face with our family but the inner confrontation finally revealed in order to recognize the need to change. This film is so moving because it not only deals with layers of ourselves we often are not willing to face, it also confronts forgiveness and shines a spotlight on the painful journey it takes to cope with generational abuse. The cast is superb! I’m impressed once again with Shia LaBeouf’s performance, he seems to be choosing more deep, complex roles this year, as he also shined in “The Peanut Butter Falcon” recently released. Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges are as equally incredible as I loved the emotional choices they made with their character. This is definitely a must-see film for this year.
In Theaters Friday, November 8th
