It may sound odd, but I can't talk about this film without talking about JOKER. The thing that most frustrated me about the backlash to that film was how it ignored Phillips's diagnosis of a problem. Senseless violence, the film implicitly argues, is being driven in part by society neglecting young men from troubled and abusive backgrounds, devoid of purpose and susceptible to mental illness.
Here we have what happens when a young man from a troubled and abusive background is devoid of purpose. He gets picked up by psychopathic predators who train him to become a violent white supremacist. And the journey to how he got there was the key to understanding him enough to get him out.
The biggest takeaway for me here is how violent and radical movements prey on vulnerable people from troubled backgrounds. This film is willing to sit down and look that dangerous movement, and these dangerous people, straight in the face and not blink. And most importantly, it does that long enough to understand Bryon. Condemn him too, sure, but know what drove him there in the first place, too.
That honesty goes a long way. It extends to his leaving, too, how enormously difficult it was between saying he was leaving and actually getting out. A really powerful story from start to finish and phenomenally acted by Jamie Bell. Props also to Vera Farmiga, one of the most underrated actresses in the business.
Empathy. Prayer. Community. If we don't reach out to these wandering, suffering souls, the monsters will. And they're good at it.
