Tackling inherently emotional and real material on the big screen is nearly impossible. No matter how you approach it, there will always be someone to say the situation was misrepresented or sensationalized. While that is the case to a point with Beautiful Boy, the performances are so captivating, it’s possible to push that instinctive judgment aside.
Moody kids call home from college all the time; they’re stressed over an upcoming exam, having trouble with friends or perhaps are just a little homesick. But little did Kate and Bill Carroll (Maria Bello and Michael Sheen) know that when their son, Sam (Kyle Gallner), finally decided to return their calls, he wasn’t just frazzled over typical college pressures. The morning following their phone call, Kate and Bill got word that a crazed gunman struck on Sam’s college campus and that the gunman was their son.
Not only must they mourn the loss of their only child, but fight off news hungry reporters, angry neighbors and Sam’s distraught classmates all while trying to figure out whether this was their fault. Kate’s brother offers to take them in to avoid the news crews camped out on their lawn, but even in the safety of his home, their marital troubles, the presence of Kate’s young nephew and the constant news reports painting their little boy as a heartless murderer consume them.
Clearly, Beautiful Boy isn’t an easy watch. Right from the start there’s a hint that something’s wrong through the gentle suggestion that Kate and Bill’s marriage is suffering and the lack of interest in planning a family vacation. Writer-director Shawn Ku and his co-writer, Michael Armbruster, further drive the point home during a three-way call between the parents and their son. While Kate and Bill both assume Sam is just having a tough time through their phone conversation, we can actually see Sam and are well aware that far more is at stake. It’s an incredibly strong and well-paced opening, making you desperate to jump through the screen to warn the parents that their son isn’t right.
But, of course, as that’s impossible, the parents remain primarily unaware and the son they once believed to simply be a shy kid lashes out at his teachers and classmates committing one of the most vicious acts of school violence in history. From that point on, Beautiful Boy is the story of Bill and Kate’s emotional journey; it’s a performance-based piece and both Sheen and Bello seize the opportunity.
While both make it qui.
