Honey Boy director Alma Har’el backs FKA Twigs after singer's abuse claims against Shia LaBeouf

Filmmaker Alma Har’el has come out in support of British singer FKA twigs, who recently filed a lawsuit against Shia LaBeouf and accused him of “relentless abuse,” including sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress. FKA twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court last week. She and LaBeouf had dated for about one year after working together on Har’el’s 2019 film Honey Boy. The suit against the Hollywood star also mentions another woman, Karolyn Pho, who is also an alleged victim of physical abuse by the actor. In a statement to Variety, Har’el said she supports “all victims of domestic violence, and everyone who is trying to stop cycles of abuse”. “As a filmmaker and an artist, I am drawn to stories that help us develop empathy for the messy parts of the human condition. “Like many of Shia’s collaborators and fans who battled substance abuse, suffered childhood trauma, and face mental illness, I am painfully aware of my past investment in his recovery,” she added. Honey Boy was based on the actor’s childhood and his relationship with his abusive father. In her statement, the Israeli-American filmmaker further said that LaBeouf’s addiction issues do not excuse domestic violence. “I want to send a clear message today that none of the above should excuse, minimise, or rationalise domestic violence.” “I’m grateful that survivors of childhood trauma have seen some aspects of themselves in Honey Boy and might feel less alone in their pain. I hope that they don’t take these events as a discouraging moment in their own recovery,” Har’el added. The filmmaker also revealed that she will be making a donation to organisations that support victims of domestic violence in Barnett and Pho’s names. In his response to the lawsuit, LaBeouf had said that “many of these allegations are not true,” but acknowledged that he owed his accusers “the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done”. “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalisations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt,” the actor said. He also revealed that he is in recovery and therapy over alcoholism and PTSD and added that he “will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way”.