Theres a moment in the movie where Loki is searching for clues in old newspapers and he founds a note of a man, a correctional officer, who commited suicide (allegedly) after his son was abducted. This movie is called Prisoners, but the title isn't meant to simply reference Bob Taylor as a prisoner of Detective Loki, or Alex Jones as the hostage of Keller Dover, or even Anna and Joy as. Before you trash this post, and think Im a nut case, please view the first 5 minuets of my video. It asks you what you believe in. Maybe out of fear? Remember that Keller had just shown up there too. People who have suffered trauma usually inflict trauma on others, in some way. Keep in mind, the final scene was foreshadowed earlier in Prisoners. Alex Jones also refers to a maze. I am bothered by the fact that there were no traces at all of the two girls found in the camper van, although they have been abducted in that van! Details. It is frustrating that we dont get some more closure though. We expect psychos to have weird obsessions like mazes. moment. Thats a great question! Brilliant article, enjoyed every word of it. This technique is more common in artsy projects than it is mainstream ones. Its an unsolvable puzzle. it may work, but I think theyre mainly just fooling themsves. And bipartisan lawmakers couldn't be happier. Kidnapping thrillers often lull us into a sense of safety in the opening sequences, showing the normal rhythms of life that will soon be shattered. Holly Debord; Van Havis. I actually know the answer to this! And even if all four parents were confused when they looked at the items which is highly unlikely the investigators should have noticed that according to the parents the items in Taylors possession were not worn by the girls on the day of their abduction. Great analysis!! Hey Bianca! She brings him to a hole underneath a car, forcing him in, shooting him in the leg and leaving him there. Though, as the movies ends before Loki saves Keller, that sense of catharsis is something Prisoners denies us. At their first encounter, in the parking lot of the police station, Alex toys with Keller, much like he did the dog, by saying, They didnt cry until I left them. He knew what he was doing. These are all clues Loki missed or were not brought up to him. His rapid eye blinking is almost like a tick that may have varies meaningsone of which is that the man rarely blinks. Except, Keller uses wood and his carpentry skills to imprison and torture Alex. Have seen the movie three times and never put that together. Holly preceded to do crazy Holly things. This would explain why Alex was not able to drive the van. Thats why Keller being a carpenter, just like Jesus was, cant be a coincidence, I think. Does Loki discover Keller in the hole or not? I also appreciate how you still respond to comments after a year. Seems like something he would do in private. I shall watch it again. Which creates that idea of the loop. And Loki in his own inclinations and deductions. Appreciate the kind words! I cant remember how much time passes in the movie. Were purposefully left to figure it out on our own. he was there he visited Hollys home before he realized she was the kidnapper he said he was there to apologize for scaring off Alex and he came in and they talked but he left when he saw the paper saying that Bob killer himself. Damn, its such a good movie. This is purposefully meta, as midway through the film the motif of the maze is introduced. On the character names, I took Keller to be a variation of killer because he hunted, owned a handgun, and was prepared to use extreme violence to protect his family. Which would therefore create a maze of the mind and memories. I imagine its a pretty isolating position as he has lost his sister to the kidnap, his mother to the grief, and his father to his own agenda. But it does seem like its probably one of those oversights they hope we dont focus on too much haha. Same with Loki. In Norse mythology, Lokis a big deal. And the long-dead Mr. Jones with the still-alive Keller Dover. After the shocking events of The Stolen Heir, Prince Oak is in deeper trouble than ever before. No way you find 10 people to give a guilty verdict let alone one when US laws would allow the defense to basically go over every missing kid in the area for the past 20+ years. His initial response is to dismiss it. Hi Chris, thank you. The abusers can only shake their fist at God so long as they assume that all the parents they abduct the children from will have the same re-action to their loss as they did. What was up with the nervous twitch? Why didnt the priest report him to the authorities at the time? confused just by this bit. Hi. Location: 3794 Highway 468. Not sure how much I buy into it, but its an example. We know this for a few reasons. I think the movie is definitely one of the best of its decade. Into the frame comes the barrel of a shotgun. And seems to have no one to talk to about what happened. Goals At the end the news paper article said he was found and reunited with his family so he was alive, it seemed like a death notice to me too until I saw that. Holly Jones Holly reveals that after their son died of cancer, she and her husband began making children disappear to wage a war with God. To be fair, the idea that the clothes may have been stolen is actually never mentioned in the movie. How do we make sense of the bad in the world? As mentioned before, we have a character named Grace. The girls went to Annas home to find her whistle. Did Loki know she found her whistle? Many times throughout the film, theres an emphasis on forests and trees. Alex just took the girls for a ride, and Holly decided to abduct them. Duct tape: I think were supposed to accept it lol. She heads to where she is hiding Anna and plans to kill her and taunt Keller by throwing her dead body into the hole with him. When someone goes missing the police investigators always try to establish very carefully how the missing person was dressed! Chris, this is an excellent analysis that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. They were scared enough to shut down and didnt move much/touch much until Alex dropped them off. My question is, why didnt he just tell the detective everything right then! I thought it was. I am very much amazed with the way you see things about the movie and the way you tell them.Just wanted to say thank you. Thats Bob Taylor, one of the many children Holly and her husband had abducted. Official Sites A maze without an exit. Its likely that since the girls probably went from the van to the hole that the scent wasnt lingering in a way the dogs would notice. Under certain agreements and special circumstances, we . The whistle is universal, no words are needed, no language barrier, only the unmistakable call for help. And how could he know where the girls lived in the first place? Despite her knowing all this, remembering all of this, what does she express? It made me wonder if he also was carrying around some past trauma. 100 Belmont-Mt. I want to watch the film again. But the only performance I really love is Jakes. Kill Loki and any other interfering witnesses (failed). How could Keller have been there too? It references Loki killing Holly as detective David Loki. What if deep down he DOES want her to go to jail! The pair began kidnapping children to turn the parents into 'demons' as they called it, forcing them to lose their mind and faith like they did. It is the key that ties the entire movie together. She clearly loved her son so much since his death broke her sanity and stripped her of any morals. And what if he does! It happened in broad daylight, in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood in west Toronto, and detectives would. When you get to the end of a movie like Inception, theres no explanation about what happened. And maybe a tad under utilized. Regarding Alex. After being released from prison in 2012, Ms. Deane-Jones was given a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and is now employed as an Uber driver. Psychological imprisonment: Alex and Bob Taylor both suffer from the trauma of their kidnapping. Joy and Anna see the RV while on a walk with their siblings, Ralph and Eliza. Thanks Chris for your work here! I could see something like him initially being reunited but then the DA drawing up charges later. Her character is the embodiment of the spiritual crisis the Joneses hope to enact. Perhaps another theme of the movie is communication. What makes Loki go there specifically? She reveals that she heard Keller while she was held captive. Records Dept. Ralph tries to protest and is silenced by an outburst from Keller. But sometime during Kellers torture of Alex, the dynamic changes. Hi Yuen, Gyllenhaal was just OK, not especially convincing. 2 weeks? When you realize one of the names has a deeper meaning, it leads to the question: Do the rest of the names have meaning? This brings us back to Grace and Loki and Dover and Birch, etc. I wonder if perhaps he was strangled by a snake for a time, causing a lack of oxygen in his brain, which could also add to the severe mental damage he displays. One question that bugs me if Alex took the 2 girls in the RV, how comes the forensic team didnt find any trace of them? This is done in order to have Prisoners become a narrative maze. But keep up the good work! I wish they delved more into that aspect of him, but also thought that the brief mention left viewers trying to figure out its meaning. Communication with everyday people would be like communicating with an alien. Maybe all of this is in reference to him being the best detective they have and always is able to close the case. In the characters of Taylor & Alex, I agree with your accurate explanations that they are unable to speak & frozen by cognitive dissonance & being unable to speak of something as cosmicaly horrific as being abducted & what follows. To put it another way, not only are they unable to speak, but they speak in a completely different language. I dont think its entirely unrealistic. I like your explanation of why Keller was probably saved but when I watched, I assumed he wasnt because he slid down too far and lost. At one point her husband confessed his crimes to a local priest, out of a narcissistic boldness of feeling unable to get caught. Its Grace who, in the wake of her daughter being stolen, completely falls apart. This is Thesecret1070. Especially with Christopher Nolan movies. Or Fight Club deals with the mind and the opening credits occur while the camera travels through the main characters brain and out a poor of their forehead. Was that really Keller or was that someone else, and was she confused because of all the drugs she used bc of Holy. But his instinct, thoroughness, and curiosity get the better of him. That the book is a dramatic retelling of Adams cheating on then dumping Gyllenhaal and the pain he dealt with in the aftermath of her hurting him. Anyway just brilliant write up. The 10-year-old girl was raped and murdered by Michael Briere, her dismembered body eventually found where the 35-year-old software developer had disposed of it, in two bags floating in Lake Ontario. Yeah, I had the same sense of spirituality. This is the father of Alex or Bob Taylor. The title is simple but that simplicity can disarm you. It is Villeneuve's first predominantly English-language feature (his prior ones being mainly in French).