☛ Cette critique est aussi disponible en français [➦].
Translated by Gabrielle Baillargeon-Michaud.
The son of a Baptist pastor from a small town in Arkansas, young Jared Eamons is just beginning to discover his homosexuality when it is revealed to his parents. Immediately, he is sent to undergo conversion therapy, where Jared agrees to try everything to change. Gradually, he begins to discover his identity while simultaneously attending group therapy sessions with questionable and even violent rules. It is ultimately by deciding to free himself from these programs, which are founded on hatred and shame, that a long journey toward personal acceptance begins for him and his family.
This story is particularly resonant as it is that of Garrad Conley, whose memoir Boy Erased: A Memoir was adapted for the screen by Joel Edgerton. However, the author is far from being the only one to have lived through this traumatic experience, as indicated at the end of the film: “36 states still legally allow conversation therapy for minors.” It is also added, “To date, conversion therapy has affected at least 700,000 LGBTQ Americans.”
Joel Edgerton brilliantly depicts the mental torture that such therapy can inflict on young adults by striking us with vivid images of both physical violence and psychological distress. Nevertheless, hope springs from this film that traces the difficult beginnings of a life that is ultimately fulfilling. The performance by Lucas Hedges is extremely touching, and his parents, portrayed by Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, do justice to the beauty and struggle of parental love. The questioning of their respective characters is significant because, unlike the majority of works on the subject, the Eamons family shows a deep willingness to do the right thing. Also featured in the film are Xavier Dolan and Troye Sivan as young gay men in search of redemption, but above all, peace.
The strength of the film lies in the depiction of a true collective evolution, not just the horror of conversion therapies. Despite the 2018 release of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, a film by Desiree Akhavan featuring Cameron Post, a 12-year-old American girl also sent to conversion therapy, the subject remains frightfully relevant and far from exhausted, as testimonies about it are both numerous and terrifying.
Reference
Director/Creator : Joel Edgerton
Title : Boy Erased
Release Date : 2018
Société de production : Anonymous Content
This movie is available on Amazon Prime for 14,99$CA