Timothy Chalamet and Steve Carell walk the red carpet at the premiere of their new movie Beautiful Boy during the 2018 BFI London Film Festival on Saturday (October 13) in London, England.

The guys were joined at the event by director Felix Van Groeningen, as well as Nic Sheff and David Sheff, the real-life men who inspired the story for the movie. Based on the best-selling memoirs between real-life father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful boy addresses the harsh realities of growing up, struggling with drug addictions, the impact of family support and – our striving instinct – the need for survival. Tackling a particularly sensitive subject matter, the film portrays the topic through delicate cinematic details, perfectly casted characters and a faithful exploration of enlightenment. In short, it lives up to its title.

This film is all about the relationship between a father and son. Throughout, there isn’t a major emphasis on many other characters, because it zooms in solely on the mechanisms a father attempts to use to save his son. Enter Steve Carell, who fulfils real-life journalist David Sheff’s experience with a faithful performance. At first, there’s silence, then there’s bewilderment, then there’s understanding, then there’s sadness, then there’s a need to protect. In short, the father’s feelings dip up and down, certainly like those of his son.

The setting and cinematography

On to the production side. The film was shot in Los Angeles and San Francisco and, as it runs, it goes from appearing delicate to dangerous in the space of one scene. Groeningen selected Ruben Impens to take control of its cinematography. The result is a tasteful perception that zooms in and out of scenarios at just the right moments (based on, of course, the status of David and Nic’s bond). The film’s regular flashbacks work well too – allowing viewers into David Sheff’s mind while he relays promising moments from Nic’s childhood and questions his actions as a father. All in all: visually rewarding but consistently real.

Timothée Chalamet

A role that is heavily dominated by substance addiction and mental pain isn’t easy to embark on – especially when its cast actor is also expected to honour a real (and pretty well-known) case behind it. Chalamet’s portrayal of Nic and his active addiction is authentic, compelling and completely raw. Your responses take zero influence from the hype (and hardcore fanbase) scored from his previous roles in Call Me By Your Name and Ladybird. The reason for that is simple: Beautiful Boy reels more like a documentary than a film. 

There’s no Hollywood coat over Chalamet – his performance is clearly driven by a wish to respect not only Nic Sheff, but all young adolescents who are currently dealing with similar problems. There is a real purpose to his part – he lost 18 pounds prior to filming, his interpretation of Nic’s detrimental actions are filled with integrity and he doesn’t transgress the reality of suffering with this experience. There’s a dedication to his delivery, and rightly so, because this is an extremely delicate issue for Chalamet to, well, act.

It was a fun experience to be apart of and seeing the celebrities in real life as well as everyone else who worked behind the scenes who where involved in making the movie who used there craft to spread a powerful message and make a beautiful piece of art, as they walked the red carpet, they spoke very briefly on the movie they all created but it was amazing to see the outcome of supportive people who were just as excited as me to watch the film.