I was surprised after watching Pretty Boy: Contrary to the warm father-son relationship presented in the trailer, this film is actually a very depressing and depressing story; although the title is "Pretty Boy", the real protagonist of the film is actually his father. Through a war of love and drugs, the film deeply explores the enormous harm that drugs can cause to a family, which is both heartbreaking, cautionary and educational.
Although the performances of father and son in the film are excellent, Steve Carell's performance is even more moving, and may replace Timothée Chalamet for the best actor Oscar. The protagonist, while the latter entered the best male supporting role.
The film recounts the difficult process of how father David helped his son Nick detox. The first half is full of hope, in contrast to the repeated despair and heartbreak of the father behind. In the more than two hours of the film, the audience saw the fall of the beautiful boy, the heartbreak of the parents, and the shattering of hopes again and again. The reason why it is so cruel is to explain the huge harm of drugs and the harm caused to individuals and families.
And the question posed by the film's subtitles is heavy: Are parents responsible for taking care of the addict's son at all times? Is it a responsibility to keep helping him to reform himself? The boy played by Tiancha has passed the age of 18 and is an adult. He has an obligation to be responsible for himself, and constantly refuses the help of his family. He only comes back to his father when he is drug addict and has no money or is in trouble. Such a selfish and depraved son, should the family still love him with open arms, indefinitely and unconditionally? This is a very cruel and realistic question, and it will also make the audience think about it.
At the same time, the film also explores: Can love and family really conquer everything? In the face of drugs, not necessarily. Some of the father's choices in the film may make the audience sad, but they are completely sympathetic and understandable.
The three beautiful boys in the film played Nick in different periods. All three of them performed very well, which definitely echoed the theme of beautiful boys, but it was also more distressing to see him eventually go to the abyss. In the hearts of any parent, children are "beautiful and perfect", and drugs not only destroy their parents' expectations, but also bring them deep self-blame. After all, is the fall of the children their responsibility? This father-son story is clearly representative of a lot of families shattered by drugs, and hopefully anyone watching can learn from it.
Carell's performance, which accurately conveys a father's journey from active assistance to despair, is heartbreaking and deserves a nomination just as much as Sweet Tea. But the film is not perfect. There are many lengthy lyrical paragraphs, which make the film not compact enough, and some paragraphs even seem like MVs for the soundtrack. It would be nice if you could cut some more.
PS: There is another film of the same theme this year, "Ben is Back" by Julia Roberts and Lucas, which has a different narrative style but the same theme is also very worthy of attention.
(Toronto Cinema)
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