Ben is Back is a new drama starring Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges about a family torn apart by addiction. The narrative takes place over the course of 24 hours when Ben Burns (Hedges) unexpectedly comes home on Christmas Eve. Within this small time frame, several hard truths are exposed and a mother’s love for her baby boy is put to the test.
In the brief fifty five second teaser clip, we see a young man lurking around a house while Julia Roberts is driving home with her children singing happily. Soon the two worlds collide when Roberts pulls into the driveway and suddenly stops, seeing the man standing there. Any bad vibes soon melt away when Roberts smiles, gets out of the car and hugs the young man.
Although the hugs and smiles of Ben and his mom are rather heartfelt, there are a few indications that not all is well. Just before shutting the car door, the daughter, Ivy (Kathryn Newton), warns with a brief “Mom, Mom, no, don’t.” Then the emotional hug is followed with the child in the back of the car saying “Is that Ben?” in a rather incredulous way. There is obviously a lot more to the story than a son coming home for the holidays.
Writer and director Peter Hedges is giving Toronto Film Festival attendees the first look at Ben is Back as it makes its world premiere on September 8. The film will release to theaters on December 7. To see the teaser clip for yourself, check out the trailer below.
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