It takes courage to come out, the uproar it causes can be earth-shattering in our lives, what makes you most confused and struggling is the incomprehension and indifference of your parents, and what Garrard Conley experienced as a member of a religious family is unimaginable. The film is based on Conley's true story, which revolves around the protagonist Lucas Hedges being forced to participate in a church-supported "straightening" project, highlighting Jared's transformation from isolation and self-doubt to self-embracing. The heavy base of the film is poked with a charming voice, telling people a moving story with twists and turns and a warm ending.
The film echoes at the beginning and end, and there is a shot of Jared holding his hand out of the car window. On the way to the project base by his mother (Nicole Kidman), Jared was anxious and did not understand what he was about to face, and this sense of dazed helplessness grew stronger, so Jared, who was sitting in the co-pilot, stuck his right hand out of the car window. The mother saw the situation and demanded that he take his hand back, which made her nervous and could be dangerous. As everyone knows, the mother is also very worried about the boy's participation in the correction project, and does not know whether the people inside will take coercive measures against the son (the content of the project cannot be leaked or even parents), which also lays the groundwork for the mother to pick up Jared in time and sincerely apologize to him for the silent behavior arranged by her father that night.
After breaking away from the project, Jared finally recognized himself, walked out of the shadows of the past, and embraced the new life. Jared is no longer a well-behaved boy who obeys his father's advice (Russell Crowe), is fed up with avoiding his father, is fed up with being relatively speechless with his father and simply faces him, firmly saying to his father: "If you don't want to lose me, you must change". On the way back, Jared drove himself and stuck his left hand out the window. This move is out of relief, Jared and his father have a showdown, and the boulder in his heart finally falls, no longer afraid and helpless. The road is far away, waiting for him to slowly explore and move forward, although the future is still ignorant, Jared obviously has a calm and calm mind to face various difficulties and challenges.
The film is very social, revealing to people the cruel situation of homosexuals receiving "corrective treatment". The film concludes with thirty-six states that can convert therapy practiced on minors. It can be seen that there are thousands of people like Jared who are undergoing corrections, and it must be a tortuous and long process to make changes. Because of this, Jared has written an article on ethics and morality in talk therapy based on his own personal experience, hoping that more people will have a clear and accurate understanding of the corrective program, and a small step now will be a big step in the future.
In the correction project, the roles played by Javier Dolan and Troyeshwen know that correction is useless, and in order not to cause conflicts and contradictions, whether with their families or with the staff within the base, they choose to be silent, try to meet the requirements of the project, pretend that their corrections are successful, and then smoothly get out. Cameron Hewson, who was ashamed to count the "crimes" on stage, was punished, but he was able to stand up and protect Jared at a critical moment to break free, although he was powerless to fight against his family and project personnel, but at least he could do something for his companions.
Compared to most people who participated in the project, Jared was luckier. The mother was very eager to understand what Jared had been through during the day, how the project activities were carried out, and whether the staff there treated him kindly, so she asked to look through the project manual and began to be suspicious and worried, until jared's distress call rescued him from right and wrong. Before leaving with Jared, the mother loudly reprimanded the person in charge, Sykes, and expressed deep remorse for putting her son in such a situation.
Jared thinks the talk therapy in the project is depressing, and when asked to share his story with Joe Alwyn, he dares to say no, arguing that it is not a crime that belongs to personal privacy (and a painful memory for him) and does not need to share; when instructed to vent his hatred on his imaginary father, he resolutely refuses, saying that he does not hate his father, let alone pretend to hate his father.
It is precisely because of the destruction of human nature and the restrictions on freedom of the correction program that Jared made up his mind to flee, and it was at this moment that he understood that everyone is an independent individual, and cannot let others define themselves, and the fact that he likes boys can never change. Jared's reaction is in sharp contrast to others, if you choose to resist, strive for change or choose to obey and go with the flow?
Project leader Sykes believes that homosexuality is not innate, but an act, a choice, he likes the same sex and plays football as an analogy, and regards homosexuality and drug addiction, gambling, alcoholism, promiscuity, abortion, pornography, etc. as sisters. Is it more sinful to prefer same-sex sin, or is it more sinful to use coercive means to "straighten out" homosexuality?
With the legalization of homosexuality in more and more countries, the voice of homosexuality is greater than ever, but even in today's affirmative action movement, there are still people who are deeply influenced by traditional ideas and are reluctant to change. When we collide with old and new things, friction and contradictions arise, we should try to accept them with an inclusive mentality, rather than resisting them and trying to stifle them. The new must triumph over the old, but this is a long-term and gradual process, and there is still a long way to go. Everyone should dare to say no, as Jared did, self-respect and self-love, and embrace the truest self.