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Director Felix Van Groeningen, best known for his Oscar Nominated film Broken Circle Breakdown in 2012, tackles his first English language feature with the film Beautiful Boy. Adapted from the memoirs of father and son, David and Nic Sheff, - who have both penned harrowing accounts of their journeys through Nic’s struggle with addiction.
Merging two profound and personal memoirs, each from a different point of view, is a monstrous task! However, the writing duo, Felix and Luke Davies do an admirable job of piecing them together. They play with the chronology of the story to try and keep as much of the character development and sentiment from the memoirs as possible, whilst condensing the material into a two-hour film. The result is a sensitive and considered script.
The story follows the turbulent relationship, limit and boundaries of a father and son’s relationship, and Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carrel have great dynamic chemistry on screen. Chalamet - who gained critical acclaim last year when he was Oscar nominated for his performance in Call Me By Your Name- steals the show with his performance of Nic Sheff. He gives a perceptive, layered and understated performance, navigating effortlessly through scenes of hopeful recovery to harrowing scenes of the darkness of relapse - it well and truly is a breath-taking performance, which is sure to lead him to his second Oscar nomination!
Carell, having taken on more dramatic roles over the past few years including The Big Short and his Oscar nominated performance in Foxcatcher, plays opposite Chalamet as Nic’s father. He delivers a tender performance and shines most in flash back scenes. The talented supporting cast of Maura Tierney and Amy Scott, who play Nic’s Step Mum Karen, and Nic’s Mum Vikki respectively, have little to get their teeth into.
The score carefully pairs attention-grabbing songs from the likes of Nirvana and Massive Attack with scenes, in a way that aids the narrative by creating tone and emotion. As David accounts consistently throughout his writing, music was an integral part of their relationship. Nic related to musicians and their lyrics, therefore it’s use throughout the film is a smart way of creating depth of character.
In a way that I haven’t seen before this film really highlights that addiction can hit anyone, of any age, or any circumstance and that it can do so rapidly and with destructive force. It is a completely deglamorized depiction of drug use and shines a frank light on the catastrophic effects. It’s a hard and distressing watch; but its beautiful sentiment of love, determination and hope will stay with you long after you leave the cinema.