Every piece of art that has ever been created has been made in such a way that it is emotionally manipulative. The way I see it there are two purposes of art, one is to make you think and the other is to make you feel. More often than not, these two are deeply connected to each other. When you think about it, you realize that the latter is emotional manipulation. Manipulating emotions on a large scale is exceedingly difficult, but filmmakers easily do it through many cinematic techniques.
When a movie has you completely under its spell its rarely called manipulative – more often it is called emotional ‘tour de force’ (Lord Elgin, 1802), meaning “something that has been accomplished or managed with great skill”.
When you watch the movie ‘Beautiful Boy’ you experience just this.
The Monster
My first connect with the movie was established when David Sheff played by Steve Carell was singing ‘Beautiful Boy by John Lennon’ to a young Nic Sheff. The lyrics went, “Close your eyes, have no fear, The monster’s gone, He’s on the run, and your daddy’s here Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, Beautiful boy.” Now people might think that it is just a song but when you connect it to the movie you realize the word play, with the monster being his son’s addiction.
No Cause Identified
The movie is nearly a masterpiece. It is mostly depressing yet beautiful. It shows how drug addicts do not need a reason to be addicts. The point of the movie is not about exactly why Nic got addicted. In an interview Timothee, who plays the character of Nic, clearly says that they did not show the cause because they did not want to make another movie about drug addiction. They wanted the audience to realize that addiction is far above and beyond the cause. In a scene when they ask Nic in the hospital what his problem was, he says, “I am an alcoholic and an addict.”
The doctor counters him by saying, “That is not your problem, that is how you have been treating it.”
This scene made me a tad bit curious, and my mind went spiraling. When we see someone who is an addict, we immediately attach stereotypes and say that he just doesn’t try hard enough to control himself. What we do not realize is that maybe, he CANNOT control himself. Maybe, he fell on the wrong path, and along the way he lost himself.
The Father
In a way, Beautiful boy tells a story that has been told a hundred times- the story of how a young man struggles with substance abuse. What makes this movie unique is that it is not in the point of view of the person going through it but in the point of view of his father who becomes his constant support. The father comes across as a normal guy with his own share of flaws. David Sheff was in no way perfect. He would lose his temper a whole bunch of times, and when he could not find a way to help his son, he would get angry. Yes, he was incredibly supportive and helped his son in every feasible way, but he had his own moments of hopelessness and despair- moments which would break his heart and make him cry out in grief.
Being psychology students, we are continuously being reminded that you cannot help everyone, especially those who do not want to get help. Half of the movie is about Nic’s father wanting Nic to get help even when he refuses to. We see in the movie, the heart-wrenching journey of this father who time and again tries to guide and push his child in the right direction only to see him relapse again and yet again. Parallel to this runs David’s own struggle of accepting that ‘he did not cause it, he could not control it and he could not cure it’. As a human, there is only so much you can hold on to.
Unconditional Love and Support
The movie may look like a story of addiction, but it is also a testament of unfathomed parental love. This love is evident right from the beginning. After David Sheff and his wife separate and Nic is going to live with his mother for the break, David says, “Do you know how much I love you? If you could take all the words in the language, it still wouldn’t describe how much I love you. And if you could gather all those words together, it still wouldn’t describe what I feel for you. What I feel for you is everything. I love you more than everything.”
Later on, when David traverses a journey of hope rebuked by Nic’s disastrous relapses, he says, “Fortunately, I have a son, my beautiful boy. Unfortunately, he is a drug addict. Fortunately, he is in recovery. Unfortunately, he relapses. Fortunately, he is in recovery again. Unfortunately, he relapses. Fortunately, he is not dead.” This quote assumes great importance because I feel that only lucky people get such supportive parents, parents who will stand by them and help them in every possible way with zero judgment.
After watching this movie I realized that mourning the dead is hard, but you find a way around it. But, when you have to mourn the living, well, that is the hard way to exist!
Writer : Manya Arora
Grade : 1st Year Psychology Undergrad (Year 2024)
Place : Mumbai, India
