Shawn Ku’s Beautiful Boy might not add any further insight into the whole loss of a child discourse or the school shooting spectrum, but the exploratory area in which the filmmaker chooses to instead focus on (the aftermath turmoil of grieving parents) does contain some choice moments. One more American filmmaker debut set in TIFF’s Discovery section, Maria Bello and Michael Sheen lead the charge in this spotty drama, and though they’re rare, when the wisely written material does spill out and when the film is at its bleakest, it delivers. Among the loss of child tragi-dramas at the festival this year, it’s Beautiful Boy that has a distinct advantage over John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole. Shawn Ku, co-writer Michael Armbruster, and producers Lee Clay and Eric Gozlan were in attendance for the world premiere screening.
