Honey Boy is a film made in 2019, directed by Alma Har'el and written by Shia LaBeouf, about his childhood abuse and struggles with his father and how they have negatively affected his adult life as a starring actor, addicted to alcohol and drugs.
The protagonist Otis, played by Noah Jupe, is heavily influenced by Shia's life as a young boy and his start in film as a child star. This film is phenomenal; it is a deeply personal film based on his life story and his father (James), played by Shia LaBeouf, who is extremely abusive mentally and physically toward Otis.
It was fascinating to see LeBeouf in such a severe and dangerous role after watching him often play comedy roles. He may have found it easier to play this role as a way of working through the trauma inflicted by his abusive father, whom he saw act in this manner frequently when he was young.
A specific, powerful scene shows the mental abuse his parents are making him experience. While Otis is on the phone with his mother, his father argues with her, and Otis is caught in the middle as they go back and forth, making Otis repeat what his mother is saying, causing him to speak the foul language, which makes Otis feel uncomfortable and upset.
James tells Otis that he is a star and needs to be strong; despite this, he manipulates him by putting his mother in the dirt and comparing her to him, which isn't supporting him efficiently. In the next breath, he is treating him very poorly. Har’el portrays the emotion in these intense scenes with handheld close-ups, with a slight shakey movement, making the audience feel unsettled and take in the depth of the scene.
I have a fondness for the correlation between his adult life while he is in rehab, talking about his trauma, and how it would connect to his childhood and how it is shown in this film. in an intense scene of young Otis screaming out loud with his arms spread out with happiness with a stick in his hand, in contrast to older Otis with his arms closed, screaming out in rage. The camera shots change from a medium to a long shot, symbolising he is far away from the little happiness he used to have as a kid, with the shaky handheld movement implying how Otis feels.
This film is a masterpiece in spreading awareness of abuse toward children. This film really spoke to me, as I could see myself in Otis, as I experienced similar events. Like me, people who have an abusive parent can relate to this film, and also it shows how people can speak up about their trauma and seek support and to see how tragic Shia LaBeouf had to experience as a child and in his adult life.
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