Joe Bell (2022)
Joe Bell
”A father walks across the US to fight bullying after his son is tormented for being gay.”
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Why watch this film?
If you stop to look, 'Joe Bell' is a movie full of mistakes. Screened at the Toronto Festival, the feature film has a forced dramatic arc, some rather tacky twists and Mark Wahlberg is not exactly a bastion of goodness to play the role of a father who crosses the United States to educate children not to practice bullying -- after all, he has already been accused of racist insults. In addition, Joe Bell's speeches are not exactly motivating, as one might expect. However, even so, screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry (from 'Brokeback Mountain's Secret') manage to bring a little poetry to the story of this father hurt by prejudice that his son suffers for being openly gay. The message is a bit twisted and the development pitiful. But still, you can understand the pain of this character so atypical in Wahlberg's career, marked by the great action franchises. It is a movie that is important to see and understand the mistakes in order to access the tortuous journey of this so incomprehensible character.
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Plot summary
The true story of a small town, working class father who embarks on a walk across the U.S. to crusade against bullying after his son is tormented in high school for being gay. Meanwhile he realizes he is instead missing out on his sons life back at home.
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