Boy Erased  ★★

The second movie this year to shine a spotlight on so-called “gay-conversion therapy,” writer/director/producer/actor Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased will be seen by many more viewers than The Miseducation of Cameron Post. That’s a real shame since Desiree Akhavan’s drama starring Chloë Grace Moretz was a far more modest—but more compelling—naturalistic look at this misguided practice and how those subjected to it are affected. Edgerton certainly lined up some heavy hitters for his film, which is tailor-made for award season; from Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) to Oscar winners Nicole Kidman (The Hours) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator), he’s cast some great talent in front of the camera, including himself in a pivotal supporting role. Unfortunately, the Australian multi-hyphenate hasn’t quite figured out what to do behind the camera. Most of the elements are in place, from the aforementioned actors to what should have been a compelling story, based on a memoir by Garrard Conley, whose onscreen counterpart was oddly renamed Jared Eamons (Hedges). Crowe plays Jared’s father, Marshall, a Baptist preacher who feels he’s failed when his son admits his attraction to men. Soon, Marshall’s wife Nancy (Kidman) is taking her son to the Memphis chapter of an “ex-gay Christian ministry” run by Victor Sykes (Edgerton), while fractured flashbacks bound back-and-forth through time. It’s a technique that adds confusion when clarity is what these wounded characters needed most. Watch it at Boston Common, Coolidge Corner and Kendall Square.