Film Review: Honey Boy

Shia LaBeouf's screenwriting debut, Honey Boy is a real and heartfelt exploration of the complications of addiction, family and love. The story is based on LaBeouf’s own experiences with fame, addiction and abuse in childhood and early adulthood.

The film begins by following 22-year-old Otis Lort (Lucas Hedges) as he films scenes for a film. Quickly, it becomes unclear which scenes are Otis acting and which are off set as both become increasingly reckless. He swigs from a whiskey bottle, drives fast cars and the sequence culminates with a dramatic car crash and arrest. The film then cuts to Otis entering a rehab facility and the audience realises the crash was not part of a movie.

The tale is a familiar one in the celebrity world: the trajectory of childhood star to addict to rehab. But Honey Boy explores the issue from a generational perspective and also a personal one, allowing the audience to connect with a younger, 12-year-old Otis through flashback scenes which make up the majority of the rest of the film. These scenes uncover the years of addiction that have filtered through Otis’ family and the slow build of events that facilitates Otis’ own succumbing to the illness.

In the rehab facility, Otis is told he shows signs of PTSD and is encouraged to remember and write down anything that may help explain his condition. At this point the flashbacks begin, with the younger Otis being exquisitely portrayed by young actor Noah Jupe. The remainder of the film focuses on the relationship between Otis and his father James, based on Shia LaBeouf’s father and played by LaBeouf himself. The pair live together, James having split with Otis’ mother, and Otis financially supports them both through his burgeoning acting career. 

This film, directed by filmmaker Alma Har’el, is expertly constructed with scenes from the 12-year-old and the 22-year-old Otis’ lives mirroring each other. As his father’s abuse and addiction comes to the fore, the triggers for these memories for the older Otis are cleverly weaved into the sequences of flashbacks and flashforwards so the film is never repetitive and the audience always has more to learn.

Jupe’s performance stands out in the film, his emotions easily drawing in viewers. LaBeouf is also fantastic in a role that would presumably be challenging for him to do justice to. Both actors create believable, genuine characters who drive the story and never allow it to drag.

Honey Boy is similar in feel and topic to films such as Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot and Beautiful Boy, which all explore addiction in a raw and non-judgemental manner. The more well-made films that highlight the commonality of addiction, the better. Honey Boy is worth the watch.

4/5

Honey Boy is showing in Australian cinemas on February 27