Shia LaBeouf has returned to the Cannes Film Festival, this time as the subject of a documentary by newbie filmmaker Leo Lewis O’Neil called Slauson Rec. To say this film shows the worst side of LaBeouf is an understatement: LaBeouf wanted to host a weekly theater workshop in 2018 for aspiring actors and filmmakers, including O’Neil, only to become the star of his very own Hearts of Darkness. What’s this strange, hostile doc really about, and why were audience members at Cannes leaving in the middle of the screening?
What is Slauson Rec about?
Slauson Rec follows LaBeouf’s experimental theater group of the same name, and it’s not showing him in a good light. First created in 2018, Slauson Rec was meant to be a free weekly theater workshop in South Central Los Angeles, but ended up becoming a vehicle for LaBeouf’s latest controversy. During the group’s first few weeks, Leo Lewis O’Neil, a filmmaker from Los Angeles, offered to become the group’s archivist and filmed the three years of madness, eventually turning it into his directorial debut at Cannes. However, throughout the movie, LaBeouf berates and, in some cases, physically abuses his mentees. A woman named Sarah struggles with balancing rehearsals and tending to her sick mother, and when her mother dies, LaBeouf fires her. Another man named Zeke eventually books a role on On My Block, and LaBeouf retaliates, their arguments escalating into a fist fight, and on another occasion, LaBeouf slams Zeke against the wall.
How did the audience at Cannes react to the doc?
Not well. Variety reports that around 30 people had left the screening of the movie, and several critics who saw the movie at Cannes have expressed how the film made them uncomfortable. “It’s not just that he’s being abusive toward these people (at several points physically). It’s that the whole damn spectacle of it starts to feel pointless,” Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote. “The ‘point,’ of course, is that we’re getting to watch a well-known star in a state of breakdown. And the tabloid perversity of Slauson Rec is that even when he’s acting out, being a total dick to these hapless people who have put their trust in him, the movie is busy turning his self-destruction into theater.”
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Indie Wire’s Christian Zilko described LaBeouf’s spiral as an “abusive maniac.” “Documenting how LaBeouf’s growing impatience with the group eventually led to biblical rage spirals, physical assaults, and some truly Grade-A asshole behavior, it paints a truly terrifying picture of its subject,” Rolling Stone’s David Fear noted. “Even if O’Neil signals this is a work of love for his old mentor, LaBeouf still comes off like a monster.” Despite the intense subject matter, The Hollywood Reporter had positives for the editing of the film: “It’s sensitively shot and sharply edited, and its energy flows. The same intensity that LaBeouf brings to his acting pours out of nearly every interaction he has in the film.”
What has Shia LaBeouf said about the film?
In a statement before the film’s premiere, LaBeouf shares that he completely supports the film, even if it shows the worst parts of him. He shared with Vanity Fair, “I gave Leo this camera and encouraged him to share his vision and his personal experience without edit. I am aware of the doc and fully support the release of the film. While my teaching methods may be unconventional for some, I am proud of the incredible accomplishments that these kids achieved. Together we turned a drama class into an acting company. I wish only good things for Leo and everyone who was part of The Slauson Rec Company.” He has “no love lost” for director O’Neil, despite the response to the film. LaBeouf told THR, “I see Leo and it’s all love. He’s not my husband or nothing, but we love each other deeply. There’s no other way you could have documented some of this stuff.”
