The aftermath of a school shooting has been explored many times in films like Elephant (2003), Bowling for Columbine (2002), and American Gun (2005). Filmmakers have delved into the psyche and motivations of the shooters or the grief of the victims’ families, but few have truly examined the dual pain and shame felt by the families of the shooters. Beautiful Boy is the cinematic emotional journey of a married couple on the verge of separation that finds out its only son committed a mass shooting at his university before taking his own life.
Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) and Maria Bello (A History of Violence) star as Bill and Kate Carroll, a typical American suburban couple whose marriage is quietly imploding. Their son, played by Kyle Gallner (Jennifer’s Body), calls one night, and his parents do that thing that most families do — they don’t share what is really on their minds. Instead, they say the safe, meaningless canned phrases meant for comfort, and then hang up the phone and ignore that nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right. The next day, Bill and Kate learn their son took loaded guns onto campus and killed fellow students and teachers before killing himself. From that point on, the two must deal with their grief, the media attention, awkward pity from friends and relatives, and the damning legacy of their only son.
Performances by Sheen and Bello could serve as a master-class in nuanced performance. Bello plays the perfect middle-class mother whose everyday “normal” mask shields controlling and neurotic tendencies. Sheen’s portrayal is imbued with the hard shell of emotional unavailability that keeps the powder keg of rage, pain, and fear of inadequacy at bay. Their performances ring true, teetering between avoidance, ignorance, self blame, and self pity. It is either a testament to the writing, the performances, or both, that the film never feels melodramatic and the emotional climax is properly set up and executed. Gallner’s role is brief, but it leaves a lasting mark. The pain in his face during his interactions in class and later on the phone with his parents is beautifully communicated without words.
Shawn Ku co-wrote and directed Beautiful Boy after award-winning turns as an actor in Samsara (2001) and as the director of the tween TV movie The American Mall (2008). Ku’s skill for visual storytelling is apparent in the stylized execution of Beautiful Boy. The texture of the image is gritty and authentic. Cinematographer Michael Fimognari’s handheld camera is often obscured by a doorway or corner, making the audience unwitting voyeurs into the lives of the main characters. The frame stays tight, pulling the audience into the anguish. The tense, emotional climax is covered in one take with the camera swaying back and forth between combatants. The major flaw of the film, though, is that it doesn’t let up. The traditional moments of identifying the body and the funeral are glossed over, robbing the audience of any routine or social construction, and thus moments of recovery. Removing these moments for emotional release takes away the foundation for any feelings of hope at the end of the film.
Beautiful Boy has so many critically perfect elements that it is surely Oscar bait come awards season. It is well crafted with powerful performances. However, the shooting style and structure are so claustrophobic that they don’t give the audience time to breathe — sucking us into a vortex of non-stop anguish. Although there are moments of laughter and love interwoven into the fabric of grief, the film leaves audiences feeling the heavy weight of pain, rather than a full sense of hope. This effect is likely by design and enhances the film’s truthfulness, but it hurts likeability, which may affect summertime audience attendance.
Beautiful Boy tops this year’s list of Limité‘s “Top 10 Indie Summer Flicks,” which you can view here.
Limité Rating: 4/5
Director: Shawn Ku
Screenwriters: Michael Armbruster, Shawn Ku
Producers: Lee Clay, Eric Gozlan
Cast: Michael Sheen, Maria Bello, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, Kyle Gallner, Meat Loaf
Distributor: Anchor Bay Films
Genre: Drama
Site: beautifulboythemovie.com
Runtime: 100 min.
Release Date: June 3, 2011
