A dark horse film of 2018, "Beautiful Boy," is a raw and gripping tale of one man's journey through addiction, recovery, and all the relapses in between. However, what makes the story so moving is that it is all true.
"Beautiful Boy" tells the story of Nic Sheff, based on the books "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction," by Nic's father David Sheff, and "Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines," by Nic Sheff himself. According to the biographical film, Nic began his relationship with drugs, specifically methamphetamines, ecstasy, and cocaine, around age 17, and after two days of hell for David when Nic inexplicably went missing, was admitted into a rehab facility to get the help he needed. Thus began the continuous cycle of rehab and relapses.
What I found so enthralling about this film was not just Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carell's passionate and moving performances, but how seamlessly the filmmakers represented the unstable and turbulent process known as recovery. So often, while one is going through their own journey of recovery, there are slip-ups, mistakes, horrible days, and hopelessness that set the recoverer back and make them consider giving up on their journey altogether. Whether they are dealing with recovering from an addiction, such as in "Beautiful Boy," or from a traumatic experience, their recovery is not a linear, upward slope.
From the outside looking in, whether consciously or not, we judge those that are recovering when they fall out of step and lose their way, because we simply cannot understand what would possibly compel them to set their recovery back. In fact, even asking our struggling loved ones why they would set their recovery back is harmful in and of itself, because it places all of the blame on the addict rather than the disease. However, it is more important than ever during those times when our loved ones or acquaintances are recovering from whatever ails them that we show empathy and, instead of judging them when they fall off, we instead strive to do whatever is within our power to guide them back to the proper path, just as David Sheff did for his son Nic.
What is most important to remember is that addiction and mental illness, whether organic or catalyzed by traumatic experiences, are diseases. As has been said before, you wouldn't judge someone with cancer when their chemotherapy fails and their organs cease to function, so why would you judge someone when their psychological disease persuades them towards actions that lengthen their recovery process?
In "Beautiful Boy," David Sheff never gives up on his son, even when Nic commits acts to the detriment of David and his finances because he has faith that Nic has the ability and resources to be ok. I hope that all who watch this film take David's sense of empathy to heart and that, if their loved ones ever struggle with recovering from what ails them, they would show the same sense of empathy at every turn. Recovery is anything but easy and anything but linear.
