That Doc on Shia LaBeouf’s Acting School Is Even Crazier Than You’ve Heard

In 2018, Shia LaBeouf was experiencing heartbreak, being lost, and what he described as “spiritual sickness.”. In the video that LaBeouf uploaded to the platform (now known as X), he announced that he had an idea. This is what many of us did in those days when we were in dire need of assistance: He went on dot. In South Central Los Angeles, there was a location known as the Slauson Rec Center. The following Saturday, the Saturday after that, and Saturday morning, he was scheduled to be there. Anyone was welcome to come along with him. You wouldn’t expect acting lessons, but it would be organized somewhat like a “class.”. For an undisclosed project, LaBeouf was actively seeking collaborators. Prior work experience was not necessary. The only requirement for participants was to have “a story that needs telling.”. They had to be committed to the truth as well. LaBeouf places a high value on telling the truth. Never forget that.

One of the callers was Leo Lewis O’Neil, a 21-year-old Texas resident. He had just moved to the City of Angels and had been struggling ever since. It was too good to resist the opportunity to not only meet a movie star but also to be involved in the early stages of a daring new creative project that LaBeouf was willing to start. Additionally, it took him five minutes to get to the center from his house. To be honest, the first Saturday was more of an event than a class. However, there was an unpredictably dynamic quality to the exercises and interactions that could not be denied.

Out of habit, O’Neil, a budding filmmaker, had brought a camera. LaBeouf was delighted to allow him to film everything. On Saturday of the following week, he asked LaBeouf if he could serve as the official archivist for the Slauson Rec Theater Company. “Yes,” the actor acknowledged.

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Years after the chairs had all been thrown, the screaming that had reached the level of jet engines had subsided, the tears had dried, and the hopes of a few artists-in-training had been crushed on the rocks of one man’s incapacity to control his inner demons, O’Neil asked LaBeouf one more question. Would it be possible for him to make a documentary about what went wrong using the footage he had been holding onto? It would have to be completely honest, LaBeouf said. The actor responded, however, that he did. I’m glad he did. Otherwise, one of the most revealing, unvarnished, and unforgiving depictions of a celebrity losing his sh*t would never have been captured on camera for future generations.

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Slauson Rec, which opened Sunday night at the Cannes Film Festival, depicts the positive, negative, and ugly aspects of the business’s two-year-and-change existence. It would be a lie to say that there is a three-way tie in the end; the “ugly” wins hands down in this case. It presents a genuinely horrifying image of its subject by showing how LaBeouf’s increasing annoyance with the group ultimately resulted in physical attacks, biblical rage spirals, and some genuinely Grade-A asshole behavior. LaBeouf still comes off as a monster, even if O’Neil implies that this is a labor of love for his former mentor. More proof of his nastiness will be made public, and those who want to enjoy the Shia-denfreude will be in heaven. We are left to watch helplessly as the number of car accidents caused by celebrities continues to increase.

Later, of course, comes all that noise and commotion and the Category 5 tantrums. Slauson Recreation approaches those dazzling early years, when there was boundless promise and all-access star proximity, in a manner that reflects the students’ own awe. In addition to providing a safe haven for failure, LaBeouf has given these dreamers a “laboratory” where they can let their fantasies run wild with someone who has the guts to take action. He provides inspiration, enthusiasm, and the feeling that everyone is equally contributing to his goal of creating “as many creative churches as possible.”. Zeke, a Hispanic twentysomething with the modest ambition of becoming “one of the greatest actors of all time,” and Sarah, a devout young woman who loves horses, are two of Shia’s apostles that O’Neil specifically highlights. They might appear to be arbitrary decisions made to draw attention to them. They’re not, spoiler alert.

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However, the utopian society revolving around the formidable figurehead is the main focus. They are slowing down because they are losing their original space, and they aren’t even considering how their presence impacts the South Central community around them. Are they being socially responsible or inclusive enough? The atmosphere is a mix of “Let’s put on a show” enthusiasm and cult-like fervor when they start rehearsing ten minutes of a longer piece that LaBeouf calls “The New Human” to present to the public. The favorable reaction they receive to what appears to be a contemporary dance adaptation of The Human Centipede is sufficient to convince them that their fearless leader’s mission to transform the world is imminent.

Jump to March 2020. The company loses some of its momentum due to the pandemic, and Zoom meetings frequently turn into power struggles between rival politicians, with LaBeouf using his veto power. Everybody is annoyed. Nobody wants to give up. A drama that blends theater, improvisation, and film in a Covid testing set will be the answer to their stasis. LaBeouf describes it as “a Cirque du Soleil-sized epic.” The show, 5711 Avalon, will be presented in a parking lot. In a scene where he raises his voice over what he perceives to be inadequate focus and storms off, O’Neil has already demonstrated to us what happens when the group’s guru loses it. LaBeouf becomes even more irritable after they begin practicing outside. One day, the players’ adaptation of this gradually developing piece will be Death of a Salesman II. The following day is complete “dog shit.”. Things get volatile when cryptic, contradictory notes are given and not followed exactly. The storm that is approaching is getting closer and closer, and you can feel it. Well.

Good luck when it arrives, as its powerful winds are intended to destroy everything in its path. The scenes where LaBeouf delivers barrages of loud verbal abuse, shirtlessly lurks around a set where no actor or folding chair is safe, or publicly lashes out at an actor he believes is acting “attitude-wise” are not sugarcoated or soft-pedaled by Slauson Rec. It just shows them while you look on in shock. LaBeouf’s actions against the younger, smaller Zeke and his backing of another actor against a wall with his forearm on the man’s throat can only be described as “assaults.”. As the 70-day rehearsal period draws to a close, the threat of violence looms over each scene, broken only by actual violent moments. Fearing that she will lose her job if she misses a rehearsal, Sarah, the most loyal of Shia’s followers, declines to visit her ailing mother in the hospital. LaBeouf waits to attend her mother’s funeral. After rehearsing her scenes with a different actor he thinks is deserving in her place, he dismisses her.

People will talk about these embarrassing, eye-catching moments—of which there are many—when discussing Slauson Recreation. And believe us when we tell you that they are truly difficult to tolerate. You feel sorry for LaBeouf because he is obviously (and he admits it himself) transforming his internal monologue of self-loathing into outward outbursts of abuse directed at people who merely wish to win his approval. You feel sympathy for those caught in this cycle with him, but listen, my frogs, why did you allow a scorpion like me to climb on your backs? He’s the first to tell you that he’s his own worst enemy. As you realize how many people view his fame as enabling this continuous experiment and giving him a free pass to be horrifying, you feel your own anger. Sarah actually points this out. She is not helped by it. Here, the notion that genius overlooks everything and that prioritizing “honesty” over all else means you’ll never have to acknowledge that you’re a jerk at heart is put to the test. There is no justification for any of this crap. It portrays an artist as a megalomaniacal authoritarian.

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Two years after 5711 Avalon’s last performance and the group’s breakup, O’Neil wraps up this two-and-a-half-hour labor of love with a coda that does manage to capture two remarkable moments of honesty. He has reached LaBeouf’s home and is filming a kind of postmortem interview. According to the celebrity, this is “the ultimate virtue signal,” so he’s approving of it. He claims, “Look how cool I look for being cool with this,” allowing his self-awareness to battle his self-loathing and self-esteem. That’s the first part. The second is when LaBeouf acknowledges that he should apologize to everyone, though some people more than others. Although he wants to try, he is unsure if he can make amends. And you hear sobbing behind the camera all of a sudden. LaBeouf silently chokes up onscreen as O’Neil lets the shot drag on for an uncomfortable amount of time, his sobs audible.

You understand that Slauson Rec is about many things, such as the dangers of well-meaning intentions and how fame doesn’t eliminate your imperfections but rather makes them worse. Ultimately, though, it is a truly remarkable act of clinging to closure. And it was difficult not to imagine that O’Neil might have felt a great deal of closure at that moment as well, as he stood in the audience while a large crowd at the most prestigious film festival in the world gave him a standing ovation. LaBeouf was also present, with a mustache that resembled a cross between an 1870s gunfighter and a 1970s police officer. Although he was aware that this was O’Neil’s night, he continued to give the filmmaker the spotlight. In the end, this document will serve as the legacy of the entire Slauson Rec experiment. The celebrity’s mission was to transform the world. Instead, he took a step back and observed a life-changing event unfold before his very eyes.