'Honey Boy' director Alma Har'el stands by FKA Twigs after Shia LaBeouf allegations

Honey Boy director Alma Har’el has said she “stands in solidarity” with FKA Twigs following her allegations of abuse against the movie’s star, Shia LaBeouf.

British-born singer Twigs recently filed a lawsuit against her former partner, alleging sexual battery and assault on the part of the Transformers actor.

Har’el has now issued a statement to Variety stating she is “painfully aware” of her “past investment in [LaBeouf’s] recovery”.

Read more: LaBeouf discusses 2017 arrest

LaBeouf wrote the script for Honey Boy, which was a semi-autobiographical take on his upbringing in which the star played his own father.

Twigs also appeared in the movie, credited as “Shy Girl”, as the romantic interest of the LaBeouf analogue portrayed by Lucas Hedges.

Watch: FKA Twigs supports Sia after LaBeouf allegations

Har’el said she was “heartbroken” to read the allegations and added she has a “deep respect for FKA Twigs’ courage and resilience”.

She added: “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.

“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.”

The filmmaker said she will donate to domestic violence organisations FreeFrom, Sistah Space and National Domestic Violence Hotline on behalf of Twigs and another of LaBeouf’s former partners, Karolyn Pho.

Twigs and LaBeouf were in a relationship from 2018 until May 2019.

The lawsuit accuses LaBeouf of numerous violent actions, including attempting to choke Twigs against a car and knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease.

Read more: LaBeouf says playing his dad was like “an exorcism”

LaBeouf has claimed that not all of the allegations made against him are true, but he did issue an apology for his behaviour during the relationship.

He said: “I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.”

Watch: Alma Har’el discusses fact versus fiction in Honey Boy