The biographical film Joe Bell will be screening at Luna from Thursday 7th October.
The film is based on the true story of a father who set off to walk across America talking about the need for acceptance and embracing of LGBTI youth following the tragic death of his teenage son, Jaiden.
The script for the film was written by Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana, who previously penned the script for Brokeback Mountain. The film is one of the final projects from McMurty who passed away earlier this year.
Appearing alongside Mark Wahlberg is Connie Britton, Gary Sinise and Lost in Space actor Maxwell Jenkins. Newcomer Reid Miller plays Bell’s son Jaiden.
The film has been praised for it’s portrayal of how families can accept a child who comes out, and for it’s honest but sometimes brutal depiction of bullying and discrimination.
Critics have noted that the film is on one level an atonement for Wahlberg, who as a teenager was convicted of two separate violent crimes against Black children and Vietnamese men. An attempted murder charge was reduced to a felony, to which Wahlberg pled guilty. He served 45 days of a two-year prison sentence.
Later in his career Wahlberg told interviewers he turned down the film Brokeback Mountain because it “creeped him out”. The actor, who is now 50 years old, has clearly been through many transformations during his life.
His career began in the late 1980’s when he first found fame out the front of the hip-hop-pop band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The brother of New Kids on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg was known more for his muscles that his singing abilities.
In the early 1990s he fronted Calvin Klein’s advertising campaigns and began working as an actor. One of his early roles was alongside Leonardo Di Caprio in The Basketball Diaries. His first major role was opposite Reece Witherspoon in the stalker thriller Fear.
His first big break came playing adult film star Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. He’s gone on to have success in both comedy and dramatic roles including Ted, Daddy’s Home, The Perfect Store, The Italian Job and The Big Hit.
Support for parents and friends
Community group PFLAG – Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (and everyone else) is a great support service for parents. Find out more about them at our community groups page.
Do you need some support?
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
QLife: 1800 184 527 / qlife.org.au (Webchat 3pm – midnight)
QLife are a counselling and referral service for LGBTQIA+ people.
DISCHARGED: 9364 6909 / waamh.org.au / wearedischarged@gmail.com
Discharged is a trans-led support service with peer support groups for trans and gender diverse folks.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 / lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 / www.beyondblue.org.au
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