“Boy Erased”: Loving and Hating Via Misunderstanding

In Boy Erased, a gay conversion drama directed by Joel Edgerton, there is a lot of parental love mixed in with misunderstanding. To their credit the parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) of Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) don’t react by shunning but love that seeks wise counsel in men whose misguided faith and narrow view sees the sin over the sinner.

So Boy Erased by faith and fault becomes a gay conversion drama. It stumbles from earnest misunderstanding to uneasy understanding and semi-acceptance.

Boy Erased’s biggest flaw is that it doesn’t show any sense of the inner religion of those involved. There is no hint at the struggles and accommodations that must come for those who earnestly believe in Christian forgiveness.

All involved are good in their roles with Lucas Hedges near great. Even Joel Edgerton’s conversion counselor has shades of compassion and humanity until the required abuses kick in.

Boy Erased is a flawed picture about flawed human beings finding flawed misunderstanding in a narrowly viewed world. It shows how Christians can go astray by focusing too much on the sin and not the greatness of each other’s souls.

All photos and videos courtesy of Focus Films.