'Honey Boy' Director Says People Will Emotionally Connect To Shia LaBeouf's Story

Shia LaBeouf’s semi-auto-biographical drama “Honey Boy” is set to release on Friday, and, according to director Alma Har’el, it’s quite the emotional journey. Written by LaBeouf, the film explores his traumatic upbringing with a dysfunctional family, including an overbearing father.

The Hollywood Reporter mentions how the script was written by LaBeouf while he was in rehab where he was diagnosed with PTSD. As E! Online reported, LaBeouf has stated that he owes a great deal of gratitude to the officer who arrested him in 2017 for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and obstruction as he feels it’s what set him on the right path. What followed was him going to rehab, which, in turn, led to him penning the film.

Once completed, LaBeouf sent the script to Har’el, whom he met during the filming “LoveTrue.” Upon reading it, she decided to work with LaBeouf to get it made. This will be her non-documentary feature debut.

“I’ve been waiting for this only 20 years, so no pressure,” Har'el said before introducing the film at its premiere. She then got serious and talked about how this movie was made with children of alcoholics in mind.

“I think this film is personal to a lot of people that see it. You approach it from what it is about it that’s personal to you," Har’el explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "I’m a child of an alcoholic and this story means the world to me.”

The film covers LaBeouf’s rise to fame as a child actor on the Disney Channel TV series “Even Stevens” and all the way up to his arrest and beyond. While he’s cast several young actors to play younger versions of himself, LaBeouf will star in the film in the role of his own father, a role that early reviews are calling “brilliant” and “heartbreaking.”

With massively positive reviews pouring in, “Honey Boy” is looking like a possible Oscar contender for both LaBeouf and Har’el.