This dramatisation of a real life tragedy is an unexpected place for Mark Wahlberg to prove he really can act. His turn as bereaved father Joe requires subtlety I didn't think he had available to him - it's to director Reinaldo Marcus Green's immense credit that he not only draws out knockout performances by all leads, but successfully delivers a snapshot of the before and after effects of anti-gay bullying. Reid Miller is even more devastating as Jadin Bell, a performance even more dependent on subtlety, given that much of what we see of Jadin is imagined by Joe. That it's never quite a redemption movie is a drawback at times (only one of Joe's roadshows is shown), but the messiness of Joe's attempt at making meaning out of tragedy and then his own senseless death are themselves a demonstration of the untidiness of people's stories. The cast deliver deeply authentic emotions where they need to, and make this deeply sad story intense and compelling. You could argue that the 'gotcha' twist half way through wasn't needed, but my God did the Joe and 'Jadin' double act that the film opens with get me invested in them both.