Beautiful Boy

The film opens with home-video footage of Bill and Kate at the beach with their young son, Sam. In the present day, a young man reads a short story to a small group about a boy and girl whose lives will be irrevocably changed, but his audience barely listens. Bill and Kate are introduced as a married couple who are rigid, career-focused, and emotionally distant. Bill works as a businessman, while Kate makes a living proofreading books. Their relationship is largely held together by Sam, now 18, who is struggling to adjust to college. Character Maria Bello plays Kate Carroll, a mother whose life unravels after her son dies in a school shooting.