(Credits: Hole in My Ceiling)
The controversial documentary centring on Shia LaBeouf, depicting his violence and misconduct towards his acting students, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18th.
The documentary, Slauson Rec, which was directed by Leo Lewis O’Neil, saw the filmmaker attend LaBeouf’s acting classes and collate over 800 hours of footage, some of which shows the actor directing violence towards the students in the group.
LaBeouf fully consented to his controversial teaching methods being displayed in this manner, previously telling 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.”
Indeed, the actor then even turned up to the premiere of Slauson Rec at the film festival on May 18th, noting: “I’m so grateful [O’Neil] still lets me around him and bring him ideas.”
The film was a late addition to the Cannes festival, but received a two-minute ovation at its premiere. Across its two-hour-and-25-minute span, however, it depicted harrowing scenes of LaBeouf inflicting both physical and emotional harm on his student actors.
In one incident, for example, a young actor is prevented from leaving play rehearsals to be with her mother, who was battling Covid-19. After the mother died, LaBeouf then fired the actor from the production.
Additionally, in another scene LaBeouf is seen to enter into a fist fight with an actor who wants to quit the rehearsals due to the ongoing abuse. The actor is left with bruises and scrapes after his altercation with the supposed mentor.
LaBeouf’s acting school was disbanded in November 2020, and a month later, musician FKA Twigs sued the actor for sexual battery, assault and emotional distress which he denies.
Related Topics
Subscribe To The Far Out Newsletter