You never really know the face of addiction until you’ve seen someone you love spiral down that path.

Whatever the substance, the struggle is a difficult thing to watch. Timothée Chalamet fully embodies a crystal meth addict here, and his pain seeps into every frame.

As Nic (Chalamet) and his father David (Steve Carell) spar over getting him clean, the 18-year-old boomerangs between wanting sobriety and needing his next hit.

The interaction between the two is one of the most intense, heartbreaking cinematic relationships of the year.

Special kudos to Amy Ryan as a fragile mother trying to handle an addiction she doesn’t understand, and The Affair star Maura Tierney as the step-mother trying to understand the difficulties he faces.

But truly, Steve Carell gives an emotionally resonant performance here as a father trying to save his son.

You can see the fragility and pain in his eyes, and his pain will become yours.

Though it’s fragmented and sometimes difficult, Beautiful Boy is one of the most difficult, must-watch films of the year.

4/5 Stars