Yesterday was a dark and rainy day so I thought the best thing to do would be to see another indie double feature. I began with Beautiful Boy because many of my students have read and enjoyed Nic Sheff's autobiography Tweak, upon which the film is based (along with his father David's autobiography Beautiful Boy). Nic Sheff (Timothee Chalamet) is a young man with a promising future as a writer and artist when he begins experimenting with drugs. He ultimately becomes addicted to methamphetamine and begins a never ending cycle of rehabilitation and relapse. His father David (Steve Carell) believes that the two of them have had a strong relationship and wonders what he has done to cause Nic's addiction in a series of sometimes confusing but ultimately heartbreaking flashbacks. In his desperation he tries to do anything he can to understand what Nic is going through and to help him overcome the addiction. There is an incredibly poignant moment in the film when David sees the turmoil that this has caused his second wife (Maura Tierney) and their two children and he realizes that he can't do anything to help Nic because he has to help himself. It is a film with a very powerful message but it is not easy to watch because it gives an incredibly gritty and authentic portrayal of how an addiction impacts everyone around the person addicted. Chalamet is outstanding, particularly in a scene at a diner where Nic lashes out at his father, because he masterfully conveys the dramatic change in personality that meth addicts undergo (I am more and more impressed with Chalamet with every role). Carell, in another dramatic turn, also gives a haunting performance as a father who would do anything for his son. As I mentioned, this is not any easy film to watch but I recommend it.
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