I wasn’t familiar with Leonardo DiCaprio when I first watched this movie; it was prior to Titanic, before his rise to fame. My initial impression was that they'd cast someone with an intellectual disability in the lead role. The film came out in 1993, so he would have been around nineteen, possibly eighteen during filming. It’s unlikely a young actor would receive an Academy Award, but observing how convincingly he portrayed the character and recognizing that he wasn’t actually intellectually disabled, I'd say it's one of the finest performances I’ve encountered—truly deserving of Oscar recognition. Aside from DiCaprio's performance, the film largely centered around Johnny Depp; as much as a 1990s independent movie could. He delivered a restrained, understated, and completely captivating portrayal of a man who seemed to be forced to mature too quickly and confront difficult circumstances at a young age. And naturally, there’s a sweet romantic subplot woven in. It's also a touching story about family ties and devotion. I honestly can't think of anything substantial to fault with this film; aside from the fact that it embodies the aesthetic of 1990s cinema, and those unfamiliar with Gen-X might not find it as appealing. This isn’t one of those films packed with elaborate special effects characteristic of Millennial-era movies. However, I want to acknowledge Leo's exceptional performance at such a young age, and commend everyone involved for creating this wonderful and largely undiscovered film.

Source on TMDB