Shia LaBeouf Is an Abusive Rodeo Clown in the Stirring First Trailer for Honey Boy

Since Honey Boy first made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, audiences have surely been curious to get a first look at the critically acclaimed drama written by famously outlandish actor Shia LaBeouf. Based on his personal experiences as a child star on Disney Channel fare such as Even Stevens, the film also stars LaBeouf as a version of his own father, portrayed as an “ex rodeo clown and felon.” The younger versions of LaBeouf—except not named “Shia LaBeouf,” as this is not being treated as a straight autobiography—are played by both Noah Jupe as a young child and Lucas Hedges as a grown man.

Confused yet? Well, the trailer might not necessarily clear up every one of your potential questions. It’s a visually striking collection of images, though, assembled by first-time narrative feature director Alma Har’el, largely known for her work in music videos and the 2011 documentary Bombay Beach. Honey Boy seems like it could be a major breakout for Har’el, who is poised to take on major Hollywood fare following the film’s almost unanimous critical acclaim.

Honey Boy is headed to VOD, distributed by Amazon Studios, and currently scheduled for a Nov. 8, 2019 release. Could Shia LaBeouf somehow scrounge up some unlikely Oscar buzz? The release window certainly makes things seem like that could be an intention. Check out the full trailer below. Props to LaBeouf for writing his character expressing his acting trademark: “Nonononono!”