Looking to Recover, a Young Man Returns Home

Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges in "Ben Is Back"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

A couple of months ago, director Felix Van Groeningen gave movie audiences a view into drug addiction with his biographical drama, “Beautiful Boy.”  While the film had terrific performances from its two leads, it sometimes fell under the weight of its melodrama.

Now, writer-director Peter Hedges brings us “Ben Is Back,” a story about drug addiction that thrives on a stronger authenticity and whose performances and story will rattle you.

On Christmas Eve, Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges, son of Peter), a recovering drug addict, takes some time out of rehab for a surprise visit to his family.  Despite working towards a better life, he becomes caught up with troublesome acquaintances, and his mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), will do whatever she can to make sure Ben doesn’t relapse.

Hedges delivers phenomenal work as a young man who’s trying to dispel the addictions that have harmed him, his family, and others.  As Ben attempts to readjust to his home life, Hedges shows the difficulty that his character faces when trying to resist going back to his substance abuse.  At times, it’s painful to watch because we want Ben to remain on his path of rehabilitation, but there’s always that risk of him slipping back into his life-threatening habit, and Hedges couldn’t be better when showing the tug-of-war that seems to consume his mind every minute.

Roberts provides a shattering performance that exhibits her tough love for Ben.  It’s powerful work in that Roberts’ character exhibits a boundless parental caring for her son.  Roberts goes the deepest that one could go with such a role, having he character show a determination to stay at Ben’s side as he tries to fix his problems, while also displaying heartbreaking bouts of emotion when hope of Ben’s recovery seems to be slipping away from her.  It’s a role that’s a searing example of a parent wanting to keep their child out of harm, and Roberts puts everything that she can into her performance in order to make us feel her urgency.

The mother-son connection between Hedges and Roberts’ characters has such an intense believability that your emotions remain tethered to the movie from beginning to end.  Hedges and Roberts are together for a great deal of the film, and when they share the screen, the genuineness that they display in their relationship creates something devastating, but not without a glimmer of hope here and there. 

Kathryn Newton has a memorable supporting performance as Ben’s sister, Ivy.  While Newton’s character doesn’t have much trust in the notion that Ben is getting better, we see how much she cares for him when he gets himself into trouble, and Newton has us feel Ivy’s helplessness when events arise where it seems like her mom is the only one who can get through to Ben.

The screenplay by Peter Hedges has dialogue once in a while that’s a little heavy-handed, but the narrative is nevertheless an effective portrayal of the toll that drug addiction can have on a family.  What’s intriguing about this story is how, instead of focusing on Ben’s life in the early stages of his addiction, it instead sheds light on the aftermath of it all, not just showing how his family views him, but also how some members of the community view him.

I won’t give anything away, but this movie isn’t your typical story about an addict trying to get better, as there’s much more that happens besides Ben returning home.  But, even though this movie isn’t just Ben trying to reconnect with his family, the narrative still gives us enough scenes with Ben and his home life within the first half of the movie.  Then, when it becomes more focused on him and his mom, we’re provided with some information about Ben’s past as he comes face to face with people whom he’s been hoping to forget.

As a director, Hedges is able to take a raw approach to the subject matter without it becoming over-the-top.  Through Stuart Dryburgh’s cinematography, which uses an abundance of closeups for his cast, Hedges has us experience the intensity between the characters as they try to get their family back to normal.  With the faultless realism that’s exhibited in the performances and story, this movie earns every emotion that you feel during its events.

Similar to “Beautiful Boy,” “Ben Is Back” has come out during the time of a national opioid crisis, giving Hedges’ film an impactful relevancy.  You’re brought along on a family’s attempt to heal, and although you might feel apprehensive about taking such a heartrending journey, it’s one that you should.

Grade: A-