A powerful psychological appraisal of the effects of childhood fame, the danger of parental longing lived through a child and the urgent need to find closure. Honey Boy is screening at the BFI London Film Festival.
Shia LaBeouf found fame at a young age, first through stand-up comedy and later as a Disney kid. However, it wasn’t until 2007 and Disturbia that LaBeouf’s popularity would rise, making him a global teen idol. But just like the many child actors who came before him, LaBeouf’s journey to this point was far from glamorous as he battled with alcohol, anger and internal despair.
Honey Boy opens amid the explosions and stunts of a 2005 film set. Otis (Lucas Hedges) is a leading man whose life is dictated by a bottle of any spirit he can find, his emotions a whirlwind of anger, frustration, and risk that eventually lead him to rehab. There, Otis’ internal hurt and trauma surface as he considers his fractious and challenging relationship with his father.
We are then taken back to 1995, where Otis (Noah Jupe) sits on the brink of stardom. Otis lives in a motel room with his recovering alcoholic father (Shia LaBeouf), who is at times loving but often volatile, their relationship fractured by fame. Here, young Otis desperately searches for a better future while his father lives out his failures through his son.
In navigating the journey of the boy and the young man, Honey Boy explores the building blocks of addiction and the silent turmoil that rages in many people due to the fractured relationships of their youth. Here, Hedges beautifully explores a life of contained rage and discomfort, while Jupe reflects on the loneliness and segregation of early fame and the need for love, care, and attention. Meanwhile, LaBeouf channels his own father; however, how much of this performance is rooted in lived experience remains obscure.
Noah Jupe’s sensitive and emotionally charged performance ultimately makes Honey Boy tick. Here, the father-son dynamic is intense and volatile, yet also tender, both lonely and hurting, unable to voice their deepest feelings, as the boy pays for the dad’s life in a twisted relationship of support.
READ MORE: SHOWBIZ KIDS
Honey Boy isn’t afraid to unpick themes of parental influence, wealth creation, and painful past dreams lived through a child’s eyes. Alma Har’el’s movie understands the isolation of fame in youth, as child actors are forced to forge relationships with adults rather than peers. It’s a world where the only escape door available is often the use of mind-altering substances, which only deepen the internal crisis facing the young person as they journey from cute screen child to awkward screen teen and then unwanted screen adult. This results in a powerful psychological appraisal of the effects of childhood fame and the danger of unchecked parental ambition.
Director: Alma Har’el
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe
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