In the raw and emotionally charged drama James White, Christopher Abbott delivers a searing performance as the title character, a young man in New York City adrift in a haze of hedonism and avoidance. His fragile world is anchored by his ailing mother, played with heartbreaking vulnerability by Cynthia Nixon, whose deteriorating health forces James to confront his own arrested development and chaotic lifestyle. Directed with intimate intensity by Josh Mond, the film follows James as he navigates fraught relationships, including those with a close friend portrayed by Kid Cudi and other figures from his life, such as those played by Ron Livingston and Makenzie Leigh. This unflinching portrait of grief, responsibility, and a son's love under extreme duress unfolds over a taut 88 minutes, earning its R rating through unvarnished emotional truth rather than graphic content, capturing the tumultuous journey of a man being painfully forged into adulthood.