Belgian Director Felix Van Groningen ("The Broken Circle" 2012 - Winner of multiple Film Festival Awards) brings the best selling pair of memories, "Beautiful Boy" by father David Sheff and "Tweak" by son Nic Sheff to the big screen with heart-wrenching perfection. Steve Carell steps into the role of David, a father willing and available to help his son through a period he can't understand. Timothy Chalamet ("Call Me by Your Name") is Nic, a young boy who appears to have it all, only to be dealing with a dark hole feed by drug addicition. The beauty of this film is that the story is told from both father and son perspectives. Nic writes about what was happening in his head and heart, while David writes what it was like to be a father looking in. Van Groningen's primary setting is a family cabin in the woods of San Francisco. Breathtaking in its appearance, surrounded by the forrest and a yard surely once filled with memorable family times, the interior is mysteriously gloomy and dark, warning the viewer something is wrong here. Cinematography (Ruben Impens), and the films eerie musical score, further cement the tense presented on screen, dropping the viewer into various SF locations that grab you and hold you down. Be for warned: The silence within this film is so powerful, that if you're eating popcorn, sipping on a beverage or your phone rings, you do any of these at your own risk. Yet, however strong this film is, something is missing here. The performance are above terrific and touching, the story is current and relevant, and the mothers (Maura Tierney "ER" and Amy Ryan "Birman") perspective is equally on point. Yet, I found myself unable to fully latch on to the characters in the manner that I'm sure the writers wanted. "Beautiful Boy" is a powerful movie going experience, and one that is hard to get out of your head.
