Michael Shannon’s directorial debut Eric LaRue isn’t a ghost story, but it feels like one.
Eric (Nation Sage Henrikson) is absent from much of the film, yet his presence haunts every scene. It haunts his mother Janice (Judy Greer) as she folds his clothes to give away. It haunts his father Ron (Alexander Skarsgård) as he reminisces on past father-son vacations. But they know — and we know — that Eric isn’t dead. He’s in prison for the murder of three of his classmates.
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Eric’s act of violence is not the focus of Eric LaRue. Instead, Shannon and screenwriter Brett Neveu (who also wrote the play on which the film is based) examine the aftermath of Eric’s crime, especially his parents’ differing attempts to process what their son has done. What follows is an aching exploration of grief and religion, all anchored by a stunning performance from the always-great, often-underused Greer.
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