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‘Heel’ Debuts to Divided Reviews as Komasa’s Dark Family Study Hits Theaters and VOD

Early reactions single out the performances while many critics question the story’s plausibility and tonal control.

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‘Heel’: Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough & Anson Boon On Grief, Redemption, More ‘Adolescence,’ and ‘Mobland’ Season 2 [The Discourse Podcast]

Overview

  • Magnolia Pictures released Jan Komasa’s Heel in select theaters and on demand on March 6 following its 2025 TIFF premiere.
  • The film stars Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Anson Boon in a story about a 19-year-old abducted by a couple who attempt coercive ‘rehabilitation.’
  • Cast interviews frame the movie as a meditation on grief and redemption rather than a conventional captivity thriller.
  • Reviews remain split, with broad praise for Boon, Graham, and Riseborough, and recurring criticism of a vague screenplay, shaky plausibility, and uneven tone.
  • The project was retitled from Good Boy to Heel after a name conflict, and production centered on an intimately staged house set built inside a studio.