Beautiful Boy

Just a couple things here....this movie was hidden away so well i've never heard a single thing about it and thats ashame because theres some really important things about this movie ALL PARENTS need to be aware of who are raising school age children! First and foremost...NEVER BE TOO BUSY TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS! Never assume theyre just 'being quiet' because they've got a full plate or that they might be tired. Those things may be true but don't just assume theres not something really important going on with your kid when theyre acting out of character!They aren't gonna paint a sandwich board and put it on to tell you and society theyre in big trouble psychologically. Kids have a tendency to always HIDE what theyre feeling and to NOT talk it over with someone. Yes it drives your kids nuts when you do it but SO WHAT?!! I'd much rather get on my kids nerves needlessly than miss something really bad when they really needed me. Also this movie isn't going to give you some gratuitous violence fix regarding the school shooting so if thats what your looking for go to youtube and watch the cctv of Columbine. your NOT gonna find that here. Thats not what this movie is all about anyway. Its about the struggle these parents face of feeling they failed their child, how that could have happened, & everything that tends to happen sociologically to the parents these kids leave behind in their wake...the blame; blame from society, they blame each other, they blame themselves; the denial, the grief over the loss of not only their child but they must deal with their grief over the loss of the kids their kid murdered; dealing with law enforcement and their stupid questions, the neighbors and their even dumber questions.....its the most horrible event a parent could possibly endure. Trying to deal with the grief theyre feeling over their 'little boy or girl who couldn't have possibly done this' and wondering how and WHEN it all went to horribly WRONG. Worst of all, these parents feel as if they don't even have THE RIGHT to grieve the loss of their child because everyone else is calling them a monster. Its just a horrible thing and this movie is tough to watch at times. When the parents finally break down and begin screaming at one another and slinging blame and screaming the most horrible things at one another you will just want to curl up in a ball and cringe its so gut wrenchingly AWFUL!

This movie/story was not what I was expecting but I was taken in at the beginning. So much of the time the news reports only one side of a tragic occurrence but neglects to show what happens to the family of the person who committed the assault.Everyone pays a price. Glad I purchased the movie.

I got this movie because I love Maria Bello's acting, and she did not disappoint.The subject being, your child using a gun and killing other children and then killing (or not)himself or herself.This true to life scenario has only picked up in the past 20 years, and I personally have always felt a very deep sorrow for not only the children and parents of the victims, but especially forthe parents of the assailant. How do you ever deal with knowing your kid has murdered others?Not only do you have the grief that the other parents have, but you get to add in guilt and of course that distasteful human reaction of morbid curiosity.This is the only movie I have ever watched on this subject, as it would not be on the top of mylist to produce, but the subject had to be breached for us (the general public) to mull over.The movie was hard to watch, but as I have stated, I have always wondered just how these parent can cope with the situation and the movie helped some in that endeavor.Movies fall into two categories; One to entertain, and the second (what this movie does so well) is to enlighten.

I saw this amazingly powerful film at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. It's not a happy film, but it's completely plausible. Many years ago my neighbors and I had a bar-b-que to which we invited a mortician who lived in the neighborhood and happened to specialize in restoring the faces of people who had been disfigured through violent crimes or suicides. She's considered one of the premiere experts in her field. She told us about being hired by the parents of one of the teenage Columbine shooters to restore their son's face (he shot off a good part of it off when he committed suicide at the school). She talked about how dispassionate or in denial the parents seemed - how the mother was obsessed with her makeup and appearance, and the father was missing in action - he was actually off on a business trip! It was an eerie experience. I was very judgmental of those parents based on what we were told. But all of those feelings were put into a different focus when I saw BEAUTIFUL BOY. What a child who goes into a school or other public place and kills many people leaves behind for his parents to clean up and try to understand is beyond tragic. And then there's the matter of all the rest of us blaming the parents - assuming they're terrible people. But sometimes it's not the parents fault. Sometimes the parents had no clue - no signs - possibly because they were blinded by love, or they were preoccupied by so many other things in their and their families lives. Watch this riveting film to see what I mean. It's a stunning piece of work, regardless of what some critics have said. A revelation!

Heart breaking. As a society we are so quick to judge and place blame others for one's mistakes and in this heart wrenching story it was no different. Told from the perspective of the parents, a troubled teen commits a heinous act and the devastated parents are left to figure out how and why he did it. They did a beautiful job of showing the parents selflessness, love, fear and anger. Though by no means a "feel good" movie, it was one more step in helping me to learn not to judge others.

This is one of the most emotionally gut wrenching movies I have ever watched. You literally feel like you are the parents and you are going through this experience. I highly recommend this movie. My husband was hesitant to watch it due to the title, however, once we started to watch it, he kept pausing it so we could discuss what was going. He really liked this movie. It was an experience of total immersion in the story.

I've always been a fan of Michael Sheen, which is the main reason I wanted to watch this film. However, the subject matter is dark and depressing and it's certainly not a feel good film.Sheen plays Bill who is unhappily married to Kate. At the start of the film Bill and Kate are sleeping in separate rooms and he talks of finding his own apartment. Their only Son, Sam is away at College. Kate wants them to try one last holiday as a family before they separate but then something happens that changes their life forever.Their Son walks onto campus and shoots dead 17 people including himself. The film explores how Bill and Kate cope with the aftermath. Both are in shock and both handle it differently. As they have to leave their home due to the press camped outside they first spend time with Kate's brother and wife but then move to a hotel. Whilst in the hotel they grow closer and sleep together again but after an argument where they both blame each other for how they parented their son, Kate leaves and returns home.Bill has a mini breakdown blaming himself and by the end of the film there is hope that they will stay together.The acting by both Sheen and Maria Bello is excellent. The film is dark and depressing because of it's subject matter so I don't think everyone will enjoy it, but if you are a fan of the actors involved then it is well worth the watch.

I'm gonna keep this brief. I bought this film because I wanted a good work out for my tear ducts. I did not get that but what I did get was something equally special. A good film. And all the acting here is superb.

OMG. so slow .... found it difficult to hear and was very dark most of the time... Great service from the seller..

Le film s'ouvre sur des images d'une vidéo familiale prise sur une plage. Des images de bonheur, d'un couple qui rit et d'un enfant qui joue. Mais la bande-son est un poème en prose lu sur un ton morne par son auteur. Le garçon a grandi et le jeune homme qu'il est devenu pleure le paradis perdu de l'enfance et surtout la prochaine séparation de ses parents qui n'ont plus rien en commun depuis qu'il a quitté le foyer familial pour ses études. Survient alors un événement terrible (mieux vaut ne pas en savoir plus) qui va mettre à très rude épreuve les parents, Bill et Kate.Ce film est autant le récit d'une tragédie que de l'histoire d'un couple. En terme de scenario, Beautiful boy ne s'attarde pas sur la mise en place de la problématique et des protagonistes, et nous épargne absolument toute violence, que ce soit visuelle ou même imaginée. En effet, nul besoin de nous montrer ou raconter en détail ce qui s'est passé; remarquons d'ailleurs que non seulement le script nous évite tout voyeurisme, mais qu'il accomplit pourtant le tour de force de nous transmettre quand même les conséquences sans en atténuer l'effet. Car le véritable sujet du film est la survie du couple face à une telle épreuve. ATTENTION SEMI-SPOILERS - ATTENTION SEMI-SPOILERS - ATTENTION SEMI-SPOILERS Il décrit avec une précision impeccable les différentes étapes du deuil (déni, tristesse, colère, négociation, acceptation), qui s'ajoute à l'inévitable culpabilité d'avoir un enfant criminel (reprenant en partie les thématiques qui sont plus approfondies dans  We need to talk about Kevin ), et à l'immense difficulté de compréhension d'un tel geste. La question du "why ?" revient régulièrement et, bien entendu, ne trouve pas de réponse. FIN DES SEMI-SPOILERS - FIN DES SEMI-SPOILERS - FIN DES SEMI-SPOILERS. Enfin, il est passionnant de voir comment chacun des deux fait son propre cheminement psychologique selon son sexe, et le déphasage entre Bill et Kate qui passent par les mêmes étapes mais à des moments différents est rendu avec une acuité peu commune au cinéma.Beautiful boy se devait d'utiliser deux acteurs impeccables et tire deux interprétations bluffantes de Michael Sheen (trilogie  The deal  - The Queen  - The special relationship , Frost/Nixon , The damned United , Tron l'héritage ) et Maria Bello ( A history of violence , Prisoners ). La caméra de Shawn Ku est portée sur l'épaule, afin d'accentuer le réalisme par un rendu de reportage mais peut-être qu'il aurait mieux fait d'avoir un cadre plus sobre et discret. Ce choix de mise en scène se comprend, mais nous empêche parfois de profiter complètement de la finesse incroyable des acteurs. Ku fait également un usage étonnant de la musique, qui flirte un peu avec le mélo sans heureusement jamais y tomber. Elle aurait pu être un peu plus discrète. Bah, pour un premier long-métrage, on tolérera ces petites erreurs qui restent loin de gâcher l'ensemble.Beautiful boy est un magnifique drame familial d'une acuité et d'une sobriété rares, qui évite complètement les larmoiements mélodramatiques ainsi que le désespoir le plus noir. Et c'est une bonne chose que l'espoir que contient le film soit justement réaliste et pas du tout forcé. On regrettera deux choses à propos du blu-ray : 1-qu'il ne soit pas diffusé en France et que cette édition blu-ray, exclusivement zonée A et ne contenant que des sous-titres anglais, limite énormément sa diffusion par le circuit de l'import 2-que l'image soit parfois un peu granuleuse et n'exploite pas complètement les possibilités de la HD qu'offre le blu-ray. Bah, qu'à cela ne tienne : découvrez et faites découvrir absolument ce magnifique film !PS : Les bonus sont assez maigres : une bande-annonce et trois courtes scènes coupées au montage, dont seule la première est vraiment intéressante. We need to talk about KevinThe dealThe QueenThe special relationshipFrost/NixonThe damned UnitedTron l'héritageA history of violencePrisoners

It is an interesting movie to watch for an afternoon or when you have nothing else to watch. The family dynamics are interesting the subject is also true to school interdynamics. Perfect if you are into sociology.