Beautiful Boy (2018)

When I logged into Prime after long, I came across ‘Beautiful Boy’ starring Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet. I like both performers, and started watching the movie without knowing anything about it. The pace of the movie startled me, and I then looked it up – the movie is based on books written by David and Nic Sheff, and portrays the impact of drug addiction on addicts and their families.

When I started undergoing treatment for mental health issues, I was angry that substance abuse is also considered a mental health disorder. My mind kept saying, “They have control over the intake, unlike my issues”. Now, I know better. Many addicts have other mental health issues as well, and it is saddening to think of what they go through.

I can’t say I can relate to substance abuse, but given my struggles with excessive sugar intake for the past 5 years, I understand substance abuse a bit more. It takes courage to admit to the issue, take steps to overcome the addiction, and stay clean for long periods. Family support can make a difference, as can psychological counselling.

Coming back to the movie, I loved the portrayal of the relationship of Timothy’ character with his stepmom and step-siblings, the difficult bond between the father and the son (the father desperately wants to help, but is unable to), the impact of drugs on academics and work. Timothy is already lean and he lost weight further for his role as the drug addict. This is the scary part for me always – when actors take their roles seriously and look the part.

The movie reminded me of ‘Requiem for a dream’ and Jared Leto’s heroin addicted character, and I know Jared is far more impactful. ‘Beautiful Boy’ is more for the parents who struggle with their children becoming addicts, who need to accept the low recovery rates, and who end up questioning their upbringing style.

As per John Hopkins, a nationally representative survey of more than 2,300 Americans, fielded in spring 2023, suggests that 32 percent of the U.S. adult population, or an estimated 82.7 million individuals, has lost someone they know to a fatal drug overdose. It makes me want to look up for India data, and I will do so sometime. This is not a holiday-season movie, but worth a watch.