JT LEROY (2019)

Starring Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Jim Sturgess, Courtney Love, Diane Kruger

Directed by Justin Kelly

Distributed by Universal Pictures. 108 minutes. Rated R

It is perhaps one of the greatest celebrity hoaxes of all time within the literary and arts community. Here was a teenage author, an accidental wunderkind, who became a revered and respected talent for his powerful stories of abuse and misfortune. His words were so honest, no one ever thought to question whether JT Leroy even existed. Which he didn’t.

JT Leroy is based on the memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT Leroy, in which Savannah Knoop details the unbelievable six years she spent as JT Leroy- an avatar of sorts for her sister-in-law Laura Albert, the real voice behind the fictional Leroy. In the film JT Leroy, directed by Justin Kelly, Savannah is played by Kristen Stewart in a role that feels tailor-made for her. Embodying Knoop’s androgynous style and questioning gender identity, Stewart channels the struggle of living a double life- her own private one and the very public, yet completely fabricated public one.

Laura Dern plays the punky feminist Laura Albert, a gifted writer who found it easier to express her dark thoughts through the personas of other people. JT Leroy’s success wasn’t planned, but once Albert’s debut book- which was “written” by Leroy- became a bestseller, she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep his identity hidden forever. After enlisting the help of her sister-in-law, Knoop, to physically portray Leroy at book signings and special events, the two embark on a wild ride that wouldn’t be believable if it wasn’t true.

The last film that portrayed a bombshell literary forgery was the Melissa McCarthy-starring, Oscar-nominated biopic Can You Ever Forgive Me?. In it, washed up author Lee Isreal forged letters from literary greats and sold the “authentic” works for cash. It shocked the literary community, but not in the way JT Leroy’s outing did in October of 2005. Thousands of people were deceived, lied to, and ultimately embarrassed for falling under the spell of JT Leroy’s facade.

The story- and the film- is a fascinating examination of fame and the bizarre nature of celebrity. Solid performances from Stewart and Dern coupled with the fast-paced style of Justin Kelly’s directorial choices makes JT Leroy completely enjoyable as well as being a cautionary tale of sorts. Long story short: don’t believe everything you read.

JT Leroy opens in theaters and on demand this Friday.