Plot: A boy's relationship with his Dad spirals out of control with the introduction of an emerging drug addiction.

I was particularly excited to see this one. This was mainly due to this being billed as an Oscar-contender and Timothee Chalamet was front and centre.


Chalamet is becoming quite the accomplished actor. After a strong showing in Call Me By Your Name and solid effort in his minor role in Ladybird, I could see Oscar come this guy's way. So I was hoping this was just Oscar-contender and nothing more.


It started off well and sucked me in early on. But I knew the topic it was covering might not totally win me over.
But as the film went on, the way it was structured and the high-quality performances made me understand about this topic a whole more from a psychological level.
All of that just built-up my emotions in what was one incredible finale and one of the most satisfying pay-offs of the year.


A lot of that is thanks to the performances. Timothee Chalamet was fantastic in the lead. The story-arch felt complete and the struggles Chalamet showed was absolutely spot-on and while you felt disappointed in his character making certain decisions, you were still appreciating the performance at the same time. I also have to give props to Kue Lawrence and Jack Dylan Grazer who portrayed younger versions of Chalamet's character.
Steve Carrell also gave a strong performance and his chemistry with Chalamet and became a big cog in this metaphorical wheel.
Both are definitely Oscar-contender worthy.
Other notable performances that are worth mentioning were the ones by youngsters Christian Convery and Oakley Bull.
I have to mention the casting of Maura Tierney. I don't think I've seen her for about 10 years. Most people will know her from being in the E.R TV series and/or playing the Mum in Liar Liar. The performance wasn't much to be honest. But it was just nice seeing her on screen.


Another positive was the writing. I think the way the story was structured was very impressive. They cover a dark and depressing topic, and they executed it in a way that anyone can understand and feel. That was a top move to make and that could see it become more of an Oscar-contender than expected, because broad strokes mean bigger appeal.


I also noticed that the way it was edited was a bold choice. It jumps between its timeline in such a risky way that it could ruin the film. But as it comes from the same director as The Broken Circle Breakdown, I felt more at ease as I know that a lot of brave editing choices. But once I got used to it, it managed to work really well to the story.


No real negatives to speak of. The only thing that might prevent it from being one of my films of the year, is that the story is not one that I would not naturally go for.


It's tricky to make a down-beat drama still feel totally gripping. But this one for me really hit the spot. It's definitely a tough watch with many depressing moments. But I feel the strong performances, the well-crafted story structure and impactful outcome made this extremely watchable, very engaging and portrayed this real-life danger in a way that everyone can understand.
This will be an Oscar-contender in various categories for sure and could end-up in my top 10 of the year.


Rating: 8/10