At some point over the past few years, you’ve probably rolled your eyes at something Shia LaBeouf has said or done. Whether it was attention-grabbing art projects like #IAMSORRY or the live-streamed marathon of him watching his own movies that spun out of him getting caught plagiarizing artist Daniel Clowes, or the off-screen drunken escapades that were fodder for tabloids, it’s been clear for a long time that LaBeouf was going through some things.

But his new autobiographical movie, Honey Boy – while not serving as an excuse for his sometimes-questionable behavior – at least provides some insight into some of the personal demons he’s had to battle in his life. It might even make you see the actor in a whole new light. Check out the latest trailer below.

Honey Boy Trailer

LaBeouf wrote the screenplay and plays his own abusive father in the film, which must have been quite a cathartic experience for him. And while he’s rightfully earning high praise for his performance here, I want to make sure that Noah Jupe‘s work doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. He plays a young version of LaBeouf from the Even Stevens era (you may recognize Jupe from A Quiet Place), and he’s tremendous in this movie as a kid who’s forced to grow up much faster than anyone his age should. It’s the best performance of his young career so far – he’s also in this year’s excellent Ford v. Ferrari – and has cemented himself as an actor who could easily become “the next big thing” in the coming years. Underestimate this kid at your own peril.

For more on the film, be sure to check out our review from the Sundance Film Festival.

Here’s the movie’s official description:

From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el brings to life a young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood’s ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har’el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon. Artist and musician FKA twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis in their garden-court motel home. Har’el’s feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as therapy and imagination as hope.

Honey Boy is out in limited release right now, and expands to theaters nationwide on December 6, 2019.

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