Honey Boy: Shia LaBeouf's autobiographical drama

Most people put their memoir to paper, but Shia LaBeouf isn’t like most people. His latest film. which he's penned himself, Honey Boy, reveals the uneven terrain of his past growing up as a child actor with an alcoholic father.

LaBeouf has always had a … strange relationship with art – when he’s not collaborating with European auteurs like Andrea Arnold (American Honey) and Lars Von Trier (Nymphomaniac), he can be found telling everyone he’s not famous anymore via paper bag or live-streaming himself watching his own movies.

Suffice to say, the actor was never going to approach his own childhood in a conventional way. LaBeouf plays his own father, while the actors with unenviable task of portraying the man himself at 12 and 22 years old are Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) and Lady Bird standout Lucas Hedges. If that’s not enticing enough, FKA Twigs will also make an appearance in her film debut.

LaBeouf makes no effort to hide Honey Boy’s autobiographical nature: the glimpses of footage from the first trailer contain clear callbacks to his roles in Even Stevens and the Transformers franchise. The irreparable cracks between father and son are visible in a series of emotional stand-offs, while Hedges unleashes an eerie impersonation as he recreates LaBeouf's drink-driving arrest.

The film was directed by Israeli filmmaker Alma Har’el, a close friend of LaBeouf’s, in her narrative feature debut. Her music video roots shine through in the film’s trailer filled with soul-baring close-ups and a poetic approach to story.

Whether the film proves to be a daring experiment or a product of glorified therapy, signs point to Honey Boy as a devastating experience for all. Reviews have been glowing since it first bowed at Sundance earlier this year. Stay tuned for our reactions when it makes a stop at the Toronto International Film Festival before its release in time for awards season.