«My Beautiful Boy, a beautiful movie

Les mercredis du cinéma - Kelly Lambiel

My beautiful boy is a touching, subtle and well-realized film that would be a real shame to miss. Our impressions.

Black screen. Sound of waves. A voice. That of a confused father seeking answers to his questions. My beautiful boy opens with a close-up shot of the worried yet resigned face of David Sheff, played by Steve Carell, who is as touching in comedy as he is in drama. He looks into the camera and, through it, seems to be addressing both the viewer and someone we identify through a voiceover as a hard-drug specialist. With a firm tone, he places us in the action from the outset, asking two questions: «What is this shit doing to my son, and how can I help him?» This opening in medias res sets the tone for the film, inviting us into the intimacy of a father-son relationship that is as unshakeable as it is fragile.

In contrast to dramatization

Between analepses and returns to the present narrative or object shots, poetic and contemplative scenes or actions that move the and actions that advance the plot, Felix Van Groeningen seems to be the chronology of the story he's trying to tell. This story, inspired by the memoirs of the real David and Nicolas Sheff, he effective way, alternating the points of view of the two protagonists points of view of the two protagonists. The way each of them experiences the and, at the same time, the parallels between them. parallels between father and son, present and past, successes and past, successes and failures, periods of calm and relapse, the time of innocence the time of innocence and the time of its loss.

By abandoning linearity and mixing up the order of events, the Belgian director moves away from the clichés often associated with films about families on the brink of breakdown. No ultra-violent arguments or nervous breakdowns supposed to represent the climax of the plot, no rebellious teenager or dysfunctional parent taking turns playing the role of bad guy or good guy. The filmmaker's tour de force lies in his ability to «de-dramatize» the subject matter, while subtly highlighting the suffering and dangers associated with a subject as serious as addiction to hard drugs.

A sensory sensory

If the film manages to avoid the pitfall of moralizing, it's also thanks to the director's aesthetic choices. The texture, lighting, soundtrack and, as already mentioned, narrative breaks make it possible to «live» the story rather than just witness it. As viewers, we have the impression at several points in the film that we too are lost like the protagonists. There are moments when everything seems clear, and then the next sequence turns everything upside down, and we lose the thread of the narrative all over again.

The scenes are often highly contrasts, but the transition from one to the other is generally harmonious, thanks Groeninger's musical choices. From simple from simple operatic drones to rock tones or the sounds of water, birds or of water, birds or wind, he even manages to transport us into a veritable a veritable sensory universe. We too can feel as if we're in a to be in a state of trance, of inner well-being, or, conversely feel the same panic as the character, depending on whether or not image and sound between image and sound.

Finally, it's worth noting that the film is masterfully carried by Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet, who at just twenty-three has been nominated three times - including at the Golden Globes - in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work on the character of Nic Sheff. Both actors strike the right balance between emotion and restraint in their respective roles. Carell plays a courageous father who is particularly caring and endearing, eager to do the right thing despite his limitations and weaknesses, without falling into caricature. As for Chalamet, he elegantly portrays Nic as an edgy young teenager, avoiding the archetypes of the old-fashioned romantic hero.

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Photo credit: © Ascot Elite Entertainment