BEAUTIFUL BOY contains heartbreaking performances (Part of Dallas International Film Festival)

            When your only son commits a heinous school shooting, how do you cope with that kind of shock? How can the parents of the victim and killer move on with their lives? Beautiful Boy presents an emotionally painful and controversial situation as the backdrop; however, the real drama concerns a sad marriage, falling apart, bit-by-bit.

            The grief-stricken and emotionally stunned married couple is brilliantly portrayed by Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) and Maria Bello (The Cooler). Beautiful Boy is mainly a performance piece. It’s exciting watching two great actors build two implosive performances and take my word; they shine all the way through.

            The film was shot on Super 16mm and the camera is handheld; the combination of a jagged style, shaky close-up shots, and a smaller camera gives the film a docudrama-like feel. The deteriorating marriage reminded me of Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman in the recent, Rabbit Hole (2010) (another grief themed movie), Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine (2010), and Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek in the depressing, yet brilliant, In the Bedroom (2001).

            Even though Beautiful Boy has a very thought-provoking premise, relevant to several real-life incidences, I still felt that the anguished couple from In the Bedroom was a more dramatic depiction. Beautiful Boy observes the grief, but I liked the dynamic shift from heartache to cold-blooded revenge in In the Bedroom.

            Ever since the shocking Columbine incident, several films have explored the devastating aftermath. These films include Michael Moore’s political, expose documentary, Bowling for Columbine (2002) and Gus Van Sant’s experimental mood piece, Elephant (2003). Personally, I think Elephant was the most provocative and technically inventive, using the senseless high school shooting to reflect on a variety of social issues. However, Beautiful Boy presents a provoking dilemma; how do you grieve for a loved one who’s represented as a mass murderer by the media?

            Despite the realistic and woeful character observations, I wish the filmmakers used the pestering media to comment on the demeaning exploitation of the family’s situation. Sure, the film touches on the subject matter, concerning the media’s pressure, but I wanted the subtext to emerge, rather than sit in the background.

            I’ve seen grieving couples in a plethora of dramas, and as absorbing as Beautiful Boy is, I felt it could’ve expressed a stronger sociological awareness. Still, Michael Sheen and Maria Bello are at the top of their game, and as far as Sheen’s performance goes, this film will establish him as a more versatile actor.

*** (out of four stars)