Boy Erased

### Extras

Becoming the Eamons, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Jared Revealed, Man Consumed, Trailers

Boy Erased is a 2018 American biographical drama film distributed by Focus Features.

## Plot

Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) is the son of Marshall Eamons (Russell Crowe), a successful car dealer and Baptist preacher in Arkansas, and Nancy Eamons (Nicole Kidman), a self-styled hairdresser. He begins his first day at the Love In Action gay conversion therapy assessment program. Chief therapist Victor Sykes (Joel Edgerton) tells the group that their sexuality is a choice influenced by poor parenting. He instructs them to perform harsh "moral inventories" of themselves and their families and requires them not to tell anyone else about what occurs during the sessions. Nancy rents a nearby motel for her and Jared to stay in until he completes the assessment; however, Jared soon discovers that the therapy has no set end point, and may require him to move into an on-campus home if he fails to convince Sykes that he has become straight.

Jared's life prior to entering the program shows him well-adjusted and happy, though he breaks up with his girlfriend upon starting college. Once there, he becomes friends with another student, Henry (Joe Alwyn), and has a brief, romantic, intimate encounter with an art student, Xavier (Théodore Pellerin). While staying the night in Jared's dorm room, Henry rapes Jared and tearfully confesses that he has done the same to another young man. Traumatized, Jared returns home to recover. Henry calls the Eamons' home and poses as a school counselor in order to out Jared and ensure his silence. Jared confesses to being attracted to men. After consulting with other pastors, Marshall signs him up for conversion therapy, to which Jared reluctantly agrees.

Weeks into his therapy, Jared gets to know the other attendees also seeking to become straight. Some, like Jon (Xavier Dolan), are fanatically devoted to conversion to the point where they refuse to even touch other men. Others, like Gary (Troye Sivan), are merely "playing the part", pretending that the therapy is working until they can be released and return to a normal life. At her insistence, Jared lets Nancy read the program's handbook, which is full of questionable psychology and obvious grammatical errors. After failing an exercise, attendee Cameron (Britton Sear) is humiliated by Sykes in front of the group and intimidated with a fake funeral service. Cameron is then beaten with bibles by both the therapists and his own family and forcibly dunked in a bathtub in one of the program's prison-like homes.

Jared challenges Sykes when the therapist suggests during an exercise that Jared hates his father. He storms out of the room, successfully retrieves his mobile phone, and calls Nancy to pick him up. Though Sykes, his counselors, and the other attendees corner Jared, Cameron stands up for him and escorts Jared safely to Nancy, who takes him home, horrified and ashamed that she allowed Marshall to enroll him in an unvetted program without researching its practices. Marshall remains furious about Jared dropping out of the program and refuses to speak with him. Soon after, Jared learns that Cameron has committed suicide while still in the program's care. Jared becomes distraught. Marshall approaches Jared to console him, but Jared turns away.

Four years later, Jared has moved to New York City. He writes an article that exposes the realities of conversion therapy. Jared returns home to convince his father to read the article and take accountability for his actions. The two begin to reconcile.

## Extras

* Becoming the Eamons
* Deleted and Extended Scenes
* Jared Revealed
* Man Consumed
* Trailers

1. Green Book
2. Colette
3. The Bookshop
4. What They Had
5. Operation Finale