Writer Garrard Conely on Watching His Memoir Become Boy Erased

Writer Garrard Conley turned his experience with conversion therapy as a young gay man in Arkansas into his 2016 memoir, Boy Erased. The book was quickly snapped up as a film project with actor Joel Edgerton adapting it for the screen and directing, as well as co-starring in a supporting role.

Conley, who now lives with his husband in New York City, at first was wary about a big screen depiction of his memoir. “I was like,...

TIFF 2018: The Tender Fragility of the Boy Erased Score

Boy Erased is a shattering portrayal of a family fractured by a challenge to their stringent religious beliefs. Based on the memoir by Garrard Conley, Lucas Hedges plays Jared, a young man from a religious family who begins to realize he is gay. Jared’s parents send him to a church-sanctioned conversion therapy camp where he struggles to find acceptance even within. Hedges’ performance is fragile and vulnerable, which makes many of the story’s events difficult to watch. Composers Saunder Jurriaans and Danny Bensi chart the evolution of Jared’s self-awareness and the strain of his relationships as he navigates the confusing period...