Boy Erased

Adapted from the memoir by Garrard Conley, writer-director Joel Edgerton tells the moving story of Jared (the superb Lucas Hedges), a dutiful, well-bred adolescent son of devout parents. The family willingly - even at first, enthusiastically - submits to Christian-themed conversion therapy, hoping to root out the sin of Jared’s homosexual feelings. Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman are uncondescending and restrained as the decent conservative couple, whose ardent love for their child, when taken in combination with the intolerance of their community, runs the risk of destroying him. Edgerton plays the leader of the conversion therapy boot camp as an intelligent, surprisingly sympathetic leader who really seems to want the best for everyone. The result is a rarity: a clear-eyed, realistic and non-polarizing vision of red-state America. (Telluride Film Festival)