Julia Roberts is always a big name in Hollywood and her latest movie “Ben is Back” depicts the miseries of a mother whose son is trapped in the world of drugs. Julia is selective about the Movies she chooses and the role this time is a meaty one that provides her with another opportunity to display her talents. It is a family drama where she is Holly, the mother of a drug-addicted son.
The action happens in a small American town, and viewers can relate to what they see on the screen because the evils of drug addiction are very real. The families suffer the most.
News AU reports “Ben is Back” is unlike the genre of today’s movies that deal in sci-fi replete with high-quality animation or are action oriented. Julia Roberts puts up a commendable performance of a mother who has to come to terms with the truth that her son Ben is in the grip of drugs.
The movie is about the drug crisis in America
The main characters are the mother Holly (Julia Roberts), her son Ben (Lucas Hedges), and Ben’s sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton).
Ben was in rehab but he turns up unexpectedly on Christmas Eve and says he got leave to spend Christmas with his family. Julia is overjoyed but the sister becomes suspicious. There are moments in the film that reveal the true picture of this world of drugs that have ruined individuals and families. Holly tries to hide jewelry and drugs in the house, while Ivy has to keep him under constant surveillance.
That is what drugs do to people, they lose the trust of their near and dear ones. The opioid crisis in the United States is visible not only in urban centers but also in the suburbs. News AU adds that Peter Hedges is the author and director of “Ben is Back.” It deals with the drug crisis in America and tackles different aspects of this evil.
Drug addiction translates into ruin
According to the New Zealand Herald, “Ben is Back” came after the “Beautiful Boy” movie and brings out the agony that families have to endure when one of its members get addicted to drugs. In “Ben is Back” the mother, Julia Roberts has to suffer the anguish of realizing that her son Ben is a drug addict. He came home on Christmas Eve but the festive mood did not happen.
The movie has tried to highlight the issue which is a serious one since it involves the lives of the youth. There are shots of drug haunts and junkie life in the movie that illustrates the world of drugs. Incidentally, Julia Roberts is a Hollywood actor with a long innings to her credit but there are indications that she could drop out of Amazon’s “Homecoming” and be behind the camera instead of in front.