Leo Lewis O’Neil’s documentary “Slauson Rec” was one of the late additions to the Cannes Film Festival lineup, but it’s certainly now one of the festival’s buzziest titles following its premiere in the Cannes Classics section.
The film, which received a two-minute ovation, had been teased for weeks as a rollercoaster ride through an experimental theater company run by a famous (or infamous, according to some) actor. In a smaller theater inside the festival’s Grand Palais on Sunday, however, the full 2 hour and 25 minute documentary was no trip to the theme park.
What begins as a 2018 attempt to build a creative “family” of players and stimulate the community of South Central Los Angeles played more like a descent into ego-driven insanity, complete with physical violence and harrowing screaming matches.
LaBeouf turned up to the screening, what was his first time seeing the film. He spoke with festival director Thierry Frémaux, simply saying, “I’m so grateful [O’Neil] still lets me around him and bring him ideas.” In the opening moments of the project, LaBeouf sits for a present-day interview (the actor only saw the film for the first time on Sunday night).
“I’ve done a lot of coming to terms with the failure that was my life, and the plastic foundation I had,” LaBeouf says. “I left a lot of people in the wake of my personality defects.”
The vibe inside the premiere seemed to mirror what the on-screen theater group lived through: cautious optimism and joy when LaBeouf is engaged about creating art, suffocating tension when he flies off the handle berating actors and crew members with sanctimonious lectures and laugh-out-loud disbelief when the star tries to justify his behavior in the aftermath. It’s an endless loop of rage and regret, which caused nearly 30 audience members to trickle out of the auditorium during the screening.
The emotional terror LaBeouf wreaks borders on the inhumane. A company member named Sarah, a fan of the actor’s since he starred in the Disney channel original “Even Stevens,” lands a lead role in a drive-in play during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. As her mother sits dying in the hospital from some undisclosed infection, she chooses to remain in rehearsals for the chance to work with her mentor. After her mother passes and the play is two weeks from opening, LaBeouf fires her, saying the show simply works better without her in the part.
In a similar scenario, a young company member named Zeke books a role on the Netflix original “On My Block” parallel to the company’s work. LaBeouf seemingly turns on him, nicknaming him James Dean and ratcheting up the criticism of his performance. It ends with Zeke quitting 45 days into rehearsals, and LaBeouf instigating a fist fight with him that leaves the aspiring performer with scrapes and bruises.
An incident that is included in documentary shows LaBeouf getting physical with an acting student named Zeke. Footage shows LaBeouf slamming a table with his fist and yelling at Zeke: “I don’t give a fuck what you say to me… You’ve got it better than I ever had it. What the fuck is the attitude problem? I’m giving you everything I have, so stop fucking with me.” The actor then shoves Zeke against a wall.
Director O’Neil revealed to Vanity Fair prior to Cannes that his involvement in the documentary started when he showed up to attend LaBeouf’s acting class with a camera in hand. The director said LaBeouf asked him if he would film everything that took place at Slauson. O’Neil did just that over the next few years until the acting school was disbanded in November 2020 amid the COVID pandemic.
LaBeouf was sued by singer FKA Twigs for sexual battery, assault and emotional distress a month after the school was disbanded. Given the footage in his documentary, O’Neil told Vanity Fair that he sent LaBeouf a trailer for the project seeking his sign-off on it. LaBeouf allegedly gave his full blessing for the movie to be made without any editorializing on his behalf; thus, scenes of alleged physical violence remain in the final cut.
LaBeouf gave the following statement to 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. While my teaching methods may be unconventional for some, I am proud of the incredible accomplishments that these kids achieved. Together we turned a drama class into an acting company. I wish only good things for Leo and everyone who was part of The Slauson Rec Company.”