This film is a great show of acting.
The mother (Julia Roberts) is undoubtedly the biggest bright spot, from the heartfelt joy when meeting her son Ben, to the sternness when warning her son to leave conditions, to the various entanglements when helping his son find a puppy. The best part is when she meets the doctor who made Ben addicted to drugs in the first place, and takes advantage of the short time his wife is gone to curse the doctor who has Alzheimer's. Another detail is when she met Ben's childhood friend Spencer, who was deeply addicted to drugs. She pressed and recalled changing Spencer's diapers when she was a child, and asked him if he needed help, but in the end, in order to ask Ben's whereabouts, she had to use exchange for drugs. It's a short paragraph, but the performance of several psychological aspects of the characters is the outstanding performance of the actress's acting skills.
The performance of son Ben (Lucas Hedges) is another highlight. Ben is a paradoxical being, who wants to quit drugs on the one hand, and is influenced by the past on the other. Take risks for the safety of your family, and eventually become tempted to go back to drugs. In fact, Lucas' performance is a little bit like a poker face, but there is a just right emotional outburst after being restrained.
The performances of the supporting roles were also excellent. The aforementioned Spencer said I just don't want to be sick while running after he got the drugs, which makes people feel pitiful too. Also, an impressive supporting role is Maggie's mother. Maggie is the mother of Ben's childhood friend who was killed when he was a drug dealer. When she saw Ben in church, the hatred in her eyes was so hard to hide that she was finally willing to help Ben's mother to save Ben. In the end, Ben was saved by her medicine.
In fact, the overall plot is not very exciting, and the narrative rhythm is average, but the acting skills of the actors are the biggest highlight of the film. Also, the ending is interesting. At first glance, the ending was hasty, but in retrospect, it was dark and the title of Ben is back.
If you love acting, go see this movie.
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