BEST BOY

Best Boy revels in its twisted take on toxic family dynamics and aggression in Jesse Noah Klein’s latest film, which when bolstered by the strong performances of Aaron Abrams, Caroline Dhavernas and Marc Bendavid, delivers the unforgettable Canadian independent film version of an early Yorgos Lanthimos film.

There is an unsettling charm to Jesse Noah Klein’s Best Boy, which is reminiscent of the early works of Yorgos Lanthimos in its tone and dark comedic stylings. From the second you meet the subject family of the story; there is an instant uncomfortable tension between them that signals the lack of trust and love between the three siblings called back to their family home after the passing of their father. Klein’s scathing commentary on the wealthy, or those who think they are wealthy as this family’s fortune is really not that big to begin with, examines the psychological warfare the three siblings inflict on each other that stems from their unhealthy relationship with their late father, and the results are chilling to say the least. Each child is maladjusted to say the least, riddled with their own personal issues which they have never truly resolved, and the competition left in their late father’s last will and testament amplifies their shortcomings as individuals and indifference towards each other. It is with this view that Klein’s screenplay finds its twisted sense of humour as these three siblings will stop at nothing to outwit and outplay each other to try to claim their father’s approval one last time.

With this baseline to the story and as the competition continues over the course of the weekend, not only do tensions boil over between the siblings, but each of them begins to spiral out of control. Klein’s dark comedy tones are deployed in full force as the audience finds it hard to find any redeeming qualities in these three siblings due to their outrageous behaviour while still being able to sympathize with them as what has caused them to be such messed up adult children all due to the emotional abuse inflicted upon them by their late. It’s not perfect writing, as the pacing does lag at times during the film’s second act as the siblings go in their own separate ways before colliding again before the final Best Boy competition. But when Klein drops the film’s reveal on the audience and character, his commentary on these individuals becomes fully realized as it shows them for who they truly are as individuals as they all knew what was revealed was a very likely possibility yet they still choose to act the way they did in spite of this knowledge. While at times Klein’s scathing commentary echoes that of television’s Succession as it explores familial relationships within family run businesses but on a much smaller scale, Klein’s writing is more focused on the characters and their volatile interpersonal interactions and develops a more intimate character dramedy.

As the story revolves around bad familial relationships, the performances are crucial to the storytelling success of the film, and Aaron Abrams, Caroline Dhavernas and Marc Bendavid easily deliver on this requirement. While Abrams may not be a big Hollywood star, he has been delivering great performances for years in notable projects such as Hannibal, Blindspot, Takes This Waltz and Clown in a Cornfield and deserves more recognition than he has gotten. His performance in Best Boy is not only wickedly unhinged in the most entertaining way imaginable as he captures the self-centered man child in Lawrence, creating an individual dead set on earning his father’s approval that he has searched for his entire life at the expense of his relationships with his siblings, but it is arguably the best performance of his career as Abrams’ impeccable comedic timing allows him to constantly steal every scene he is in. Dhavernas excellently captures the hurt child within and outward fight of Philip, the daughter of the family given a boy’s name as her father wanted strong young boys. It’s a nuanced performance from Dhavernas that captures this daughter trying to not let her screwed up family dynamics ruin her life again after years of recovering from it, while at the same time displaying an endless fight to prove that she is the best boy of the family against her two brothers. Rounding out the leading trio is Bendavid as the youngest son Eli, and while he is not as outwardly explosive as his two siblings, there’s a care and intelligence that Bendavid brings to the role that is a perfect contrast to Abrams and Dhavernas. Though, the film finds its beating heart within the on screen dynamic that Abrams, Dhavernas and Bendavid as it is excellent, delivering big explosive moments and raw moments of vulnerability as these three siblings explore their strained relationship.

With the intimacies of a small Canadian indie and the single location of the story, Jesse Noah Klein amplifies his commentary on toxic families and aggression that delivers both laughter and shocking moments, making Best Boy a delightfully deranged film with excellent turns from Aaron Abrams, Caroline Dhavernas and Marc Bendavid that leaves an unsettling feeling in viewers long after it has finished.