IT’S Christmas Eve in New York. Ben, an addict 77 days sober arrives back at the family home unexpectedly. His Mother Holly is ecstatic, as are his young step-siblings. His sister and stepfather are, however, deeply suspicious of his motives. Ben insists he’s there with the blessing of his sponsor and has no intention of relapsing but as with all roads to recovery – it is rarely uneventful. A well made analysis of a strong family being tested by addiction opens up later into an almost thriller/road movie as the more inward looking story tries to give itself a finite purpose and ending – and the film suffers for it. The is very much a mother/son movie – with Holly getting far more than she bargained for when insisting Ben doesn’t leave her sight. The problem is as we descend into the depths of the drug community we’re also thrown into a pretty tired bunch of imagery that feels too well-trodden. I’d liked to have seen more of the backstory. How did Ben get there? There’s a fleeting mention of his natural father (Miles’ dad) and it’s hinted that’s where the troubles began but it’s a scab left unpicked. None of this this will do anything to temper the rise of Lucas Hedges, who turns in another powerhouse performance (Scene stealing in everything from Ladybird to Three Billboards). I see things in him I haven’t seen since Phillip Seymour-Hoffman. The pressure of being directed by his dad must have been… [Read full story]
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