Lucas Hedges is a force to be reckoned with in Ben is Back, the new film from his father, Peter Hedges (Dan in Real Life, Pieces of April, About a Boy.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), who wrote the dark and introspective original screenplay, and had the creative nerve to cast his son in the lead role of a drug addicted 20 year old who is constantly making matters worse for himself and those around him, no matter how hard he tries to correct his damaging course of action.
Julia Roberts is excellent as the young man’s mother, a woman who is always trying to see the best in her son, no matter how often he continues to fail her; this is the best she’s been on-screen in years, and yes, that classic smile does come out a couple of times despite the heavy-duty subject matter.
The way that Hedges weaves in honest familial emotions and social politics of small-town life bolsters the entire piece, as does his way with dispensing of backstory, so that the events of the characters’ past help to serve the immediate action of the narrative.
The final sequence is gut-wrenching and even more upsetting when you really think about it in full context of the entire picture, while Hedges’ no-fat screenplay allowed him to be super precise with his directorial decisions. Stuart Dryburgh’s rough and appropriately chilly cinematography never stops to make anything look overly pretty.
Review by Nick Clement
Summary
Opening in limited release on December 7, this is tough-medicine cinema for those looking for adult-oriented storytelling where no easy answers are offered to one of life’s most challenging of subjects.
