Boy Erased

This powerful drama benefits from moving performances and a thoughtful script that tells the heart-wrenching story of a young gay man who's tackling faith and identity. Hedges, who earned an Oscar nomination for Manchester by the Sea, impresses as a kind, intelligent, and loving teen who's struggling to reconcile his sexual identity with his upbringing in a very conservative Baptist church. And while Aussies Crowe and Kidman may not have perfect Arkansas accents, they're very believable as well-meaning but confused Christian parents. Hedges plays Jared with nuanced restraint. He loves God and his parents, and he figures that "praying away the gay" must be worth it if it will take away the confusion and guilt he initially feels.

The stellar ensemble also includes the always fabulous Cherry Jones in a memorable cameo as an Arkansas doctor who holds science in one hand and God in the other, meaning that she knows there's nothing "wrong" with Jared. Her role is small, but it's important, as is Kidman's; Nancy ultimately puts her love for her son above the desires of her husband or the elders of his church. There's no denying that this movie, like the memoir it's based on, has a clear message: Conversion therapy is harmful at best and hateful at worst. Those who agree will find this film a moving reminder of how disenfranchised LGBTQ teens in certain religious communities are -- until they can live freely and be true to themselves.