Ever since he blew me away in "Manchester By The Sea," and having seen him previously as Richie, in the American dramatization of "The Slap," Lucas Hedges has, in my estimation been the actor to keep one's eye on. All those ancient queens extolling Timothee Chalamet are so deluded; he is a flavor of the month, a pretty boy, whose star will be short lived, when that prettiness goes. And it will go. Lucas, on the other hand, has a fresh, natural look, not conventionally pretty, but imperfectly handsome. He is a fine young man, but this is backed up with a lot of acting technique and sensitivity that makes him not a flavor, but the most exciting young presence out there.
It comes as no surprises to me that he carries "Boy Erased." But the film did surprise me, with one of the best performances I have seen from Nicole Kidman recently--she more than atones for "The Beguiled" here--and Russell Crowe, with her, playing the Eamons, parents of Jared (Hedges), who are not the hypocritical monsters one might expect. They love their son, but are misguided by society and what they grew up around. The real monster is Victor Sykes, played by writer/director Joel Edgerton, who did the same in his brilliant thriller "The Gift." Unlike that film, no one really gets a comeuppance here, but it almost does not matter. What happens is Jared' mother's maternal instincts outweigh her religious values, the father is imprisoned by them, but tries to understand, and that Jared does what many young gays do--he flees to an urban area; in this case, New York City, and surrounds himself with like minded friends.
But the film does not sugar coat the issue of conversion. The camp, hypocritically called Love In Action, is more about breaking down its individuals' spirit and confidence, something Jared senses early on. It is a testament to Hedges' gift for acting that the discoveries he makes, and the viewer with him, are conveyed by internalization, the emotions seen on his face, rather than dialogue. Edgerton's performance is like a snake, seemingly friendly, then sneaking up on one with psychological and physical abuse.
What surprised me about the camp was that it was not made up of overly hormonal teenaged boys. There were girls, women, and even older men. Two of those campers, Jesse LaTourette, as Sarah, and Britton Sear, as Cameron, offer strong supporting performances. There is a scene where Sarah and Jared look at each other passing by, and it is an example of what this film, and its actors, do the best. One wants to know what is in their heads, at the moment, and the back story of Sarah. I kept feeling something tragic--ie; suicide--was going to happen to Sarah. An incident does happen, and its surprise is so startling, and understated, it is more impacting than if shown the actual act.
Understatement is the byword in "Boy Erased," but don't let that fool one; the message gets across loud and clear. Everyone is brilliant including Cherry Jones, in her cameo, within their roles, but Lucas Hedges carries this film. I now almost want to see him on stage in "The Waverly Gallery."
One last thing. There is a scene where Jared excuses himself to take a leak. It is a basement bathroom, with windows looking in. Standing there, near one of those windows, is Victor Sykes. Is he watching? Has he watched? When his outcome is revealed over the end credits, I was not at all surprised. I had to laugh.
Go, Lucas! I cannot wait to see what you do next!
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