Why you should see Beautiful Boy

Give me a spacious airplane seat, a girlfriend who shares my taste in movies, a glass of white Burgundy, and I am a happy man. Or at least a satisfied man. Last week I flew to Dubai with Esther Goedegebuure, editor-in-chief of JAN, whispering to me regularly what to watch or read. With six empty wifi-less hours ahead and a top selection of films (hip hip hooray for Emirates Airlines), my flight couldn't go wrong. Esther offered me a wide palette, and I chose Beautiful Boy.

The story isn't entirely new. It is based on the popular book series by Sara Shepard (yes, the writer of PLL).

The Belgian director Felix Van Groeningen adapted the story of a boy from an upper middle-class American family who, for no apparent reason, becomes addicted to crystal meth. The father, David Sheff, wrote a book about his son's addiction, and Nic Sheff, the son, subsequently wrote two books: ‘Tweak’ and ‘We All Fall Down’, in which he describes his relapse.

Why you should see the film

The music, the outstanding performance of Timothée Chalamet (who received an Oscar nomination last year for his role in ‘Call Me by Your Name’), the portrayal of Maura Tierney () as the stepmother, and especially the scene where she chases after Nic in her red van after Nic has broken into their home during the depths of his addiction, the scene where the little stepbrother asks his father: 'Is Nic on drugs again?' and also the scene where the brothers wrestle with a detoxed Nic on the beach and say they were a bit anxious to see him again and say that it 'still feels very familiar'. Also the way you see the dark sides of Nic, how he drags his girlfriend into his addiction.What is also nice...

Is that this is a production of Plan B, or the film company of Brad Pitt. He is also credited in the credits (that's what you get, right, when you're on a plane and watching a rare beautiful film, you also take a look at the credits).

And this dessert...

The monologue at the end, during the credits. Of rare beauty.

beautiful boy a boy hugs his father cuddle.