This Boy’s Life, written by Robert Getchell, based on the book by Tobias Wolff - Eight out of 10

This Boy’s Life, written by Robert Getchell, based on the book by Tobias Wolff

Eight out of 10

Although a very impressive drama, seemingly based on a true story, this motion picture seems to have been ignored by critics and audiences alike, in spite of the presence of some of the best actors of their age –

Robert de Niro as Dwight, Leonardo DiCaprio outstanding even at a tender age as Toby and Ellen Barkin, remarkable as Caroline, Toby’s mother and the wife of the abusive Dwight.

If Dwight seems to be a nice man when he first meets Caroline, as he tries to court, impress and seduce the woman, after they get to know each other better, the real, very violent side of the chauvinist, retrograde, selfish, brutal, simple, thuggish, uneducated, jealous and envious character.

He is the stepson of Tobias and acts with vicious aggresivity, physical and psychological against the son who would try as hard as he can to escape the abuse, beatings and torment that the villainous parent inflicts on him.

One day, Tobias has a fight with a boy from the neighborhood, Arthur Gayle, who is different and therefore the other children insult and prompt Toby to do the same, which means that the two adversaries come to blows, they get into the mud and the stepson comes home with a bruise.

Dwight mocks, humiliates his stepson, then teaches him how to be mean, hostile and keeps telling stories from his life, how he attacked one or another colleague, how he “knows a thing or two about a thing or two” demonstrating constantly his limited vocabulary, evil thinking and malicious character.

After the conflict, Tobias becomes good friends with Arthur Gayle, indeed best companions, although the retrograde, homophobe, perverted Dwight said that Arthur plays for the “pink team”, while this troubled individual would not have sex with Caroline while facing her…he makes it clear with belligerence that he does not like to look at her when they are intimate (!) and he is sadistic furthermore.

Both Toby and Arthur want to leave Concrete, although in the first place it is the latter that insists that they need to leave this small, backward looking town, or else they would have lives of misery…the former says that the latter would keep dressing in his mother’s clothes.

The hero works early in the morning, distributing the newspapers, but his thuggish stepfather takes his money away – when the boy says he would like to have a dog, Dwight gets one, but it is an English bulldog that the son does not want and which the malefic mechanic has paid with Toby’s money.

One night, the boy drives his stepfather’s car, taking the dog along, and he slips with the car, ending with the rear wheels in a ditch from where he cannot take it out – luckily a truck takes him on board, but the following day, when the brute finds out, he beats the young man with ferocity.

He is no gentleman in his dealing with his wife, on the contrary, even if this being the fifties, the emancipation of women was still far from complete – well, it is not yet accomplished in 2018 – and Caroline is patient, endures the repellent sex, increasingly obnoxious and horrible spouse, but her endurance is tested repeatedly.

When she announces that she favors JFK, she wants to work for his campaign, her husband, who is the epitome of negativity, pessimism and vileness says that she cannot do that, because people who favor the republicans would not come to his garage if that happens – in the present, those who love Trump no matter what he does, would agree and then the under signed would not talk to someone who supports such a lunatic.

This Boy’s Life is dramatic, depressing and rather tragic at times, given that there seems to be no way out of Concrete in general and out of the clutches of the monstrous stepfather, who cannot stand his family and is annoyed, aggravated by anything they do…actually, rectify that – even when they do nothing.

One night, Caroline and her daughter – by the way, the fate of this girl is unclear to this viewer, all the way to the end, if you learn what happens to her, maybe you let this puzzled onlooker know – are just talking while the great music lover – imagine that! – is trying to listen to a record and makes a tremendous scene over not being to enjoy his sophisticated hobbies...

Tobias is very near the edge, facing a possible breakdown and he presents to his comrades the perspectives they all have – even if they keep talking about what they will do, the Cadillac they would enjoy, given their background, their lousy grades and the opportunities available – better said nonexistent – in the town of Concrete, they will all have a very bleak future.

They challenge him and he admits that the point is that this is what would happen to him too, only he decides to try to make a better future, learns and gets good results at tests for prep school, he even gets the help of Arthur to falsify some documents required in order to get admission.

Rejected by all schools, the hero is almost resigned, up to the point where he does get a last chance, somebody will come to Concrete for an interview which is in serious danger, when Toby’s comrades come to the restaurant where the fate of the protagonist is decided and they use the foul language, the obscene attitude that looks set to undermine the prospects of the young man.

If the first part of This Boy’s Life is sad, tormented, marked by a series of traumas, maybe there is hope for his future…