The Prodigal Son (2018)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title The lost Son
Original title Boy Erased
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2018
length 115 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
JMK 14
Rod
Director Joel Edgerton
script Joel Edgerton
production Joel Edgerton,
Steve Golin ,
Kerry Kohansky-Roberts
music Danny Bensi ,
Saunder Jurriaans
camera Eduard Grau
cut Jay Rabinowitz
occupation
synchronization

The Prodigal Son (original title Boy Erased ) is a film drama by Joel Edgerton , which celebrated its world premiere on September 1, 2018 at the Telluride Film Festival , in US cinemas on November 2, 2018 and in German cinemas on February 21, 2019 came. The biography is based on the memoirs of Garrard Conley .

action

Jared Eamons lives in a small US town. At the age of 18, he confessed to his parents, Marshall and Nancy, that he was gay after he was raped by his college crush Henry Wallace, who leaked the information to his mother via an anonymous phone call. His father, who is a Baptist preacher, puts pressure on his son until he agrees to participate in a program in which homosexuals are to be reversed in twelve days by means of so-called conversion therapy and which is strictly based on the Bible.

Once there, Jared has to hand over his cell phone and diary, but is allowed to go outside in the evening and spend the night in the hotel with his mother. The “Love in Action” center is managed by the therapist Victor Sykes. He tells them that they were not born homosexual. Rather, people from their family are to blame. Therefore, the participants should note their negative characteristics in a diagram. Nancy thinks her family is completely normal, but tells her son about his uncle Vincent, who was somehow very feminine. In a next step, Sykes has the group categorize their sins. At first Jared only thinks of Henry Wallace, until he realizes that the moral wrongdoing was not his origin. Then he remembers Xavier, in whose bed he spent one night, although they only held hands.

The father of one participant removes his son from the program because he is indignant at how brutal he was there. He was injured with a baseball while training her manhood by former criminal Brandon, who is part of the therapist team. Usually, Sykes decides how long they need to be in the program. Instead of becoming a straight man, however, Jared learns to recognize and accept his own identity during therapy. He also realizes that you only want to pull money out of your parents' pockets. He tells his mother that he has his doubts as to whether the program will bring anything. He is also skeptical about the expulsion of demons from participant Cameron. At the facility, Jared makes the acquaintance of Jon, who is already there for the second time and makes sure that the others observe the rules. Gary, another participant, gives him tips on how to cheat your way through the program. Jared should just play the role that is expected of him.

When Jared is asked to present his "moral inventory" to the group, he tries to be completely honest. He clashes with Sykes, who refuses to believe that Jared told the whole truth, and claims that Jared is angry with his father. However, Jared blames Sykes for his anger and wants to leave the facility. They try to stop him, but because of his mother's threats that she will call the police, and with the help of Cameron, Jared escapes. Even if his father, who did not believe that his son could continue to live in a house with them, wants Jared to go back to the program, his mother prevails against her husband for the first time after years of silence and takes her son with her Home. A little later Jared learns that Cameron killed himself.

Four years later, Jared lives in New York and is currently writing a book in which he tries to process his experiences with reparative therapy. He informs his father that an article is to be published in the Times beforehand, but that Marshall does not want to read it at first because the situation is extremely complicated for him as a preacher. In a clarifying conversation, Jared tries to make it clear to him that he is his son and gay and that nothing will ever change in either. Marshall promises him that he will try to work on his hiring.

production

Literary template

The film is based on the 2016 Garrard Conley titled Boy Erased: A Memoir published memoirs. The book was published in 2018 by Secession Verlag in a German translation by André Hansen .

The author Garrard Conley is played by Lucas Hedges (picture) in the film .

Conley was born in 1985 and was born in Arkansas in the proverbial Bible Belt into a strictly Orthodox Baptist family. It was a shock not only to his parents and relatives but also to himself when it was found out that he was gay. Plagued by guilt, Conley found himself in the hands of the fundamentalist Love in Action organization , which promised healing. There his sexual sensations should be erased. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk Kultur , Conley said about the therapy there that it was based very much on being permanently ashamed, and that, for example, they had to write down a daily moral inventory of their sexual fantasies or experiences. This had a great deal with 1984 by George Orwell had in common, so Conley.

In his autobiographical narrative, Conley also describes the agonizing questioning and strict behavioral instructions, but above all the suicidal thoughts that tormented him and his fellow “delinquents” because they were persuaded that they were “wrong”. Dirk Fuhrig of Deutschlandfunk Kultur thinks that in Boy Erased Conley describes a part of American society in which homosexuals are still being reeducated in 2018: “The importance of the book lies less in its literary weight than in the fact that it is one gives deep insight into a part of US society that may have been confirmed since Trump's election. A milieu in which homosexuals would still be re-educated or 'erased' in 2018. ”Fuhrig continues, the American writes tentatively, with numerous digressions and flashbacks, with a lot of understanding for his parents and even for the therapists at the re-education institution. The portrayal of the suffering of the young man, whose personality is to be "erased", reads itself very personally and is a rebellion against intolerance in religious communities that are faithful to the Bible, whose closed worldview does not allow any deviation.

Situation of the LGBTQ community in the USA

“The thought that such camps existed and still exist in many countries is sick and extremely dangerous. And it's definitely not the way to deal with it when your child comes up to you and says they are gay or lesbian. My great wish is that in a few years' time something like a coming-out will no longer be necessary. "

- Troye Sivan

After the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973, the medical establishment largely abandoned these practices. Nonetheless, efforts to convert gay men continued, mostly by less respected advisers and religious organizations. Their methods tend to focus on talk therapy, but some also use treatments designed to induce reluctance and amount to physical torture, including inducing nausea and vomiting, using electric shocks and ice baths, but also photos or videos.

Neil J. Young of the Huffington Post cites a study published in early 2018 by UCLA's Williams Institute that found around 700,000 US adults underwent "conversion therapy" at some point in their lives, half of them as teenagers. Nearly 80,000 LGBTQ teenagers are undergoing therapy before they are 18 years old, according to the Williams Institute research. This number is also noted in the credits of the film Boy Erased .

Despite the rejection of conversion therapy by leading health organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association, and evidence that such treatments may not work but can cause emotional and psychological harm, 36 states still allow conversion therapy for minors, however even in states that have made therapy illegal for minors, these laws usually apply only to psychiatric counselors. Religious and spiritual counselors are generally exempt from the prohibitions and therefore do little to help restrict the practice.

Staff and cast

Directed by Joel Edgerton . He also wrote the script and played the role of "therapist" Victor Sykes in the film

As announced in June 2017, in addition to directing the film , Joel Edgerton also adapted Conley's memoirs for the film and can also be seen in the role of Victor Sykes, the director and therapist of the program aimed at reversing gays. This is the second feature film directed by Edgerton , after The Gift in 2015.

Lucas Hedges took on the lead role from Jared Eamons. Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman play his parents Marshall and Nancy in the film. According to his father, Crowe had visited Garrard Conley in his church and assured him that he would play him as realistically as possible: “That reassured my father because he was afraid that if the portrayal was not realistic enough, he would feels too much empathy for me as a homosexual, he could lose his church, he could lose his license. ”Australian singer, YouTuber and actor Troye Sivan plays Gary, who gives Jared tips on how to cheat his way through the program. The musician Flea , the bassist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers , plays the tattooed and aggressive drill sergeant named Brandon, who was hired by Victor Sykes to train the children for masculinity. Xavier Dolan plays the grumpy, emotionally seedy Jon and Joe Alwyn Jared's college crush, Henry.

Filming, film music and publishing

Filming began in Atlanta on September 8, 2017. Eduard Grau acted as cameraman and Nash Edgerton , the brother of the director , acted as stunt coordinator . The recordings of Jared as a child, initially shown in the film, also show the actor Lucas Hedges. These come from his mother's private video recordings. The director stated, "I wanted the audience to get to know the child before they developed sexually."

The score was composed by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans . In July 2018, the song was Revelation of Troye Sivan published, which was also used for an imagined at the same time movie trailer. The complete soundtrack , which comprises a total of 24 pieces of music, was released as a download by Back Lot Music on October 26, 2018 and was released on CD on November 2, 2018.

The film celebrated its world premiere on September 1, 2018 at the Telluride Film Festival and its international premiere on September 8, 2018 as part of the Toronto International Film Festival . In October 2018 it was shown at the Festa del Cinema di Roma in the Tutti ne Parlano section, in the same month as a graduation film at the Hamptons International Film Festival and on November 2, 2018 it was shown in US cinemas. A theatrical release in Germany took place on February 21, 2019.

reception

Age rating and topic

In the USA, the film received an R rating from the MPAA , which corresponds to a rating of 17 and over. In Germany it was approved by the FSK from the age of 12. The statement of reasons for the release states: "The long stretches of oppressive atmosphere, in conjunction with the depiction of rape and the cruel" therapeutic "measures, can emotionally overwhelm children under the age of 12." Patrick Seyboth from epd Film remarks that the film does indeed give insights into the thinking of evangelical Christians, and also the presentation of the bizarre to abysmal brainwashing measures in the course of the reorientation is appropriately oppressive, but a permanent sentimentalization, in which the soundtrack plays a large part, keeps the disturbing potential of the topic always easy to digest.

The German Film and Media Assessment gave the film the rating of particularly valuable . In the jury's statement: “Director Edgerton finds extremely adequate images for the family's ever-unspoken suffering. The characters are constantly surrounded by a certain melancholy, which the film accompanies with a slight gray cast in color. And the quite extensive score also practices restrained, gentle sounds. That doesn't seem overdone or kitschy, but rather hits the spot because it supports the underlying feeling of being alive and buried. The jury praised The Prodigal Son as a very sensitive film on the gender issue. The drama also reminds us that there are still institutions that offer questionable forms of therapy, that want to 're-educate' and ultimately aim to destroy personality and thus personalities. "

Reviews and use in class

In December 2017, Boy Erased was put on Variety's list of the 20 most anticipated films of the 2018 cinema year by film critic Owen Gleiberman . The film has so far received the approval of 81 percent of all critics at Rotten Tomatoes and achieved an average rating of 6.9 out of a possible 10 points.

David Ehrlich of Indie Wire explains that Boy Erased uses a similar premise as The Miseducation of Cameron Post , the second film of the year in which conversion therapy is at the center of the story, but is more focused on the people who make up the traumatized young protagonist encircle, and even enable understanding for them.

Garrard Conley and Joel Edgerton

Peter Debruge from Variety thinks the problem with films that are set in strictly conservative institutions - to which, in addition to Boy Erased and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, he also counts David and Lisa , The Club of Dead Poets and, in some cases, Full Metal Jacket - is that these inevitably felt like prison films. Joel Edgerton never goes as far as The Miseducation of Cameron Post to ridicule the conversion therapies, but assume that even a relatively low-key performance will make the audience's blood boil. In his serious, anti-hetero-normative drama, the directors of this facility appeared like charlatans, and Edgerton did not need to portray Victor Sykes as a villain for his methods to be viewed as harmful by the audience. Debruge asks who benefits from conversion therapy and whether it is not the parents who want their children to be cured of their predilection for the same sex. Debruge notes that the film strangely holds back when it comes to depicting Jared as a sexual being other than being raped by his college crush, Henry. If Cameron Post can be particularly useful for teenagers, Boy Erased should be of great value to parents, especially those with their own LGBT children, said Debruge. He recalls that by sharing his story , Garrard Conley , whose memoir inspired Edgerton's film, could fix things with his parents. The film critic also remembers that his own father also lives in Arkansas and that he has never talked to him about his private life since his outing and that his father never asked him about it, which meant that he hadn't really known him for almost 20 years. That also means that a boy will be wiped out, said Debruge.

Dieter Oßwald from the Gilde deutscher Filmkunsttheater remarks that non-linear narrative styles are in vogue, and this drama also skilfully relies on the dynamic with flashbacks. In addition, the empathy bridge to the audience with the young first-person narrator as an ally was built quickly. The psychologically plausible development of the characters, whether victims, perpetrators or impotent parents, provides additional plus points, according to Oßwald. Edgerton once again proves a talented hand in staging moving emotional worlds that get by without kitsch and clichés. The ideal cast is 21-year-old Lucas Hedges , who had received an Oscar nomination for Manchester by the Sea the year before and most recently shone in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri , according to Oßwald: “As an insecure teenager, he gives a terrific performance, whose truthfulness gets under your skin. The apparent ease with which he masters the balance of idealism, anger, powerlessness, perplexity and rebellion has classic qualities. Not only Hedges should win an Oscar for this masterfully clever plea against intolerance. "

The online portal kinofenster.de offers materials for the film for the classroom. Kirsten Taylor writes that the film is particularly suitable for ethics and religion classes, where it offers a good introduction to discussing this practice and the consequences for those affected and to addressing prejudice against homosexuals.

Awards (selection)

At the 2019 Academy Awards , Revelation from the film was shortlisted in the Best Song category . The following is a selection of awards and nominations:

AACTA International Awards 2019

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards 2018

  • Nomination for best film

Chicago International Film Festival 2018

  • Nomination for the Gold Q-Hugo (Joel Edgerton)

Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2019

Golden Globe Awards 2019

Troye Sivan plays in the film Gary and contributed the song Revelation in

Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2018

  • Nomination for best film song ( Revelation , Leland, Troye Sivan and Jónsi)

Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards 2019

  • Nomination in the category Best Contemporary Makeup (Kimberly Jones, Mi Young and Kyra Panchenko)

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019

  • Received the Variety's Creative Impact Award (Troye Sivan for Revelation )

Satellite Awards 2018

  • Nomination for Best Film Actor (Lucas Hedges)
  • Nomination for Best Supporting Actor ( Russell Crowe )
  • Nomination for Best Supporting Actress (Nicole Kidman)
  • Nomination for Best Song (Revelation)

synchronization

The German dubbing was based on the dialogue direction and a dialogue script by Christoph Cierpka on behalf of RC Production .

actor Voice actor role
Lucas Hedges Patrick Baehr Jared Eamons
Joel Edgerton Martin Kautz Victor Sykes
Nicole Kidman Petra Barthel Nancy Eamons
Russell Crowe Martin Umbach Marshall Eamons
Xavier Dolan Florian Clyde Jon
Troye Sivan Salvadore-Hugo Garth Gary
Madelyn Cline Magdalena Höfner Chloe
David Joseph Craig Nic Romm Michael
Britton Sear Dennis Mojen Cameron
Théodore Pellerin Aram Tafreshian Xavier
David Ditmore Werner Böhnke Phillip
Flea Roman Kretschmer Brandon
Joe Alwyn Max fields Henry
Cherry Jones Marianne Gross Dr. Muldoon
Victor McCay Jaron Lowenberg Aaron
Devin Michael Kaze Uzumaki Different

literature

Web links

Commons : Boy Erased  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for The Prodigal Son . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 182940 / K). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. ↑ Age rating for The Prodigal Son . Youth Media Commission .
  3. ↑ Lena Grundhuber: In the name of love. In: swp.de, June 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ Boy Erased. In: secession-verlag.com. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  5. ^ A b Garrard Conley in conversation with Joachim Scholl: Alone in violent re-education. In: Deutschlandfunk Kultur, June 15, 2018.
  6. ↑ Dirk Fuhrig: Garrard Conley: "Boy Erased" When the identity is to be erased. In: Deutschlandfunk Kultur, April 23, 2018.
  7. ↑ Steffen Rüth: Thoughtful Pop was yesterday. In: Badische Zeitung, September 1, 2018.
  8. ↑ a b Peter Debruge: Variety.com Telluride Film Review: 'Boy Erased'. In: Variety, September 1, 2018.
  9. ↑ Neil J. Young: Gay 'Conversion Therapy' In 'Cameron Post', 'Boy Erased' Is Far From A Thing Of The Past. In: Huffington Post, August 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr: Joel Edgerton To Direct, Lucas Hedges To Star In Gay Deprogram Drama 'Boy Erased'. In: deadline.com, June 8, 2017.
  11. ↑ https://www.instyle.com/news/nicole-kidman-wig-boy-erased
  12. ↑ https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2460726/the-awesome-way-boy-erased-uses-old-footage-of-lucas-hedges
  13. ↑ Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans to Score Joel Edgerton's 'Boy Erased' In: filmmusicreporter.com, March 28, 2018.
  14. ↑ Stephen Daw: Troye Sivan Joins Nicole Kidman in Trailer for Gay Conversion Therapy Drama 'Boy Erased'. In: billboard.com, July 17, 2018.
  15. ↑ New Oscar contender first: Trailer for "Boy Erased" released. In: queer.de, July 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ 'Boy Erased' soundtrack details. In: October 17, 2018.
  17. ↑ Kristopher Tapley: 'First Man,' 'Front Runner' and 'Roma' Among 2018 Telluride Film Festival Selections. In: Variety, August 30, 2018.
  18. ↑ # RomaFF13: Tutti i film della Selezione Ufficiale. In: romacinemafest.it, October 5, 2018.
  19. ↑ Dave McNary: Hamptons Film Festival Sets 'Boy Erased' as Closing Night Film. In: Variety, September 13, 2018.
  20. ↑ Start dates Germany In: insidekino.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  21. ^ Reason for release for The Prodigal Son In: Voluntary Self-Control of the Film Industry. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  22. ↑ Patrick Seyboth: Critique of The Prodigal Son. In: epd Film, January 25, 2019.
  23. ↑ The prodigal son. Jury reasoning: Predicate particularly valuable. In: German film and media evaluation. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  24. ↑ The Most Anticipated Movies of 2018 In: Variety, December 26, 2017.
  25. ↑ Boy Erased In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 26, 2020. Note: The Tomatometer is the percentage of Rotten Tomatoes Approved Critics who gave the film a positive rating.
  26. ↑ David Ehrlich: 'Boy Erased' Review: Lucas Hedges and Nicole Kidman Lead Joel Edgerton's Powerful Gay Conversion Drama. In: indiewire.com, September 1, 2018.
  27. ↑ Dieter Oßwald: The prodigal son - Boy Erased. In: programmkino.de. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  28. ↑ The prodigal son. In: kinofenster.de. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  29. ↑ Academy Unveils 2019 Oscar Shortlists. In: The Hollywood Reporter, December 17, 2018.
  30. ↑ AACTA Reveals Record-Breaking Number of Feature Films in Competition for 8th AACTA Awards. In: aacta.org. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  31. ↑ thesis LGBTQ + -themed films addressing sexuality and identity compete for the Hugo Award Q .. In: chicagofilmfestival.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  32. ↑ Pete Hammond: Critics Choice Awards: 'The Favorite' 14 Nominations; 'Black Panther' A Marvel; 'First Man' rebounds; 'The Americans' Leads TV Series. In: deadline.com, December 10, 2018.
  33. ↑ Golden Globes: List of Nominees. In: The Hollywood Reporter, December 6, 2018.
  34. ↑ 2018 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations Announced. In: filmmusicreporter.com, October 16, 2018.
  35. ↑ Alisha Buaya: Troye Sivan cuts a dapper figure as he is honored at the Variety's Creative Impact Awards at Palm Springs International Film Festival following his Golden Globe nomination. In: dailymail.co.uk, January 5, 2019.
  36. ^ Karen M. Peterson: International Press Academy Announces Nominees for 23rd Annual Satellite Awards. In. 29th November 2018.