Slauson Rec is a 2025 American documentary film directed by . It chronicles actor Shia LaBeoufâÂÂs free experimental acting collective founded in 2018 at the Slauson Recreation Center in South-Central Los Angeles, from its euphoric beginnings to an acrimonious collapse marked by LaBeoufâÂÂs volatile outbursts and physical confrontations.
The film had its world premiere in the Cannes Classics section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2025, where it was nominated for the L'Ã Âil d'or.
In September 2018 LaBeouf posts an open invitation on Twitter (now X) for anyone with âÂÂa story that needs tellingâ to attend a free Saturday-morning workshop. Filmmaker Leo Lewis OâÂÂNeil, then 21, becomes the groupâÂÂs self-appointed archivist, ultimately recording some 800 hours of footage.
Slauson Rec traces the collectiveâÂÂs evolutionâÂÂfrom ecstatic trust exercises and a devised piece titled The New Human to pandemic-era rehearsals of a drive-in play called 5711 Avalon. As LaBeoufâÂÂs temper worsens, the film captures multiple incidents of verbal and physical abuse, including the firing of an actress days after her motherâÂÂs death and an altercation that leaves another student bruised. The group dissolves in November 2020 amid turmoil and LaBeoufâÂÂs looming legal troubles. A coda, filmed two years later, finds him acknowledging a âÂÂgod complexâ and expressing a desire to make amends.
OâÂÂNeil shot the project on a single handheld camera supplied by LaBeouf, who encouraged him to âÂÂfilm everythingâ without restriction. After the collectiveâÂÂs collapse, OâÂÂNeil and producer Matt Zien edited the material independently, with Danny Smight and Kevin Klauber, A.C.E., shaping the final 140-minute cut. Zien told Deadline that Cannes had been the teamâÂÂs primary goal from the outset of post-production, informing festival strategy. LaBeouf never sought editorial control and insisted that uncomfortable footage remain in the film.
The documentary debuted on 18 May 2025 at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, screening in Cannes Classics section. LaBeouf attended the premiere alongside OâÂÂNeil, Zien and Knight. As of May 2025, a U.S. distributor had not yet been publicly announced.
Early reviews were polarised but largely praised OâÂÂNeilâÂÂs unvarnished access. Rolling Stone called the film âÂÂone of the most damning, unfiltered, take-no-prisoners portraits of a celebrity losing his [temper] ever recorded for posterity.â âÂÂâÂÂThe TimesâÂÂâ noted that âÂÂnothing can quite prepare you for the LaBeouf featuredâ in what it termed a âÂÂthermonuclear rage machineâ of a documentary. The Daily Telegraph awarded four stars, praising the filmâÂÂs âÂÂgrimly revealingâ study of Hollywood power dynamics. RogerEbert.comâÂÂs Zachary Lee argued that the documentary âÂÂwarns against what happens to communities that cede their collective power in favor of being shaped by the ego of a sole charismatic leader.â Additional reviews described Slauson Rec as an experimental and challenging project that blurred documentary and performance boundaries. Critics at The Hollywood Reporter praised its raw realism and editing style, while noting its demanding length and shifting tone.