The Peanut Butter Falcon

Effortlessly charming buddy movie about a young man with Down's syndrome (Zack Gottsagen) in pursuit of his dreams, with Shia LaBeouf.

Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a restless 22-year-old with Down’s syndrome, is frustrated by the slow pace of life at the nursing home in which he resides. Itching for some excitement, he dreams of becoming a pro wrestler, obsessively re-watching a worn-out VHS tape of his favourite Lycra-clad hero, The Salt Water Redneck. Hatching a plan to meet his idol, Zak makes a break from his geriatric prison, with his worried carer Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, struggling fisherman Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) is on a mission of his own – to escape the clutches of a pair of angry crabbers after unwisely messing with their traps. As fate brings these two accidental fugitives together, so begins the start of an epic journey, and a profound friendship, that will change both of their lives forever.

The first feature from writer-directors Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson brims with an infectious sense of adventure impossible not to be swept up in. The ever-impressive LaBeouf and Johnson shine throughout, but this is Gottsagen’s film. Having previously appeared onscreen in the acclaimed documentary Becoming Bulletproof, his acting debut is nothing short of a revelation, guaranteed to stir the heart of even the most steadfast cynic.