Glad that came through for you! We know its coming from Keller Dover, trapped underground. And maybe a tad under utilized. Why does that trigger a flashback where she thinks he was there? But, yeah, seems to be one of those suspension of disbelief things that has become implicit to the whole artistic form. Others will be so invested in the first watching that this goes right over their headwhich is intentional on the movies part. When Loki finds the body in the priests basement, the priest/father explains the man came to confess and spoke proudly about killing 16 children. Chris, this is an excellent analysis that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. 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. The address where Alex parked the RV was his old house. Hes essentially frozen by cognitive dissonance. What if deep down he DOES want her to go to jail! This item: Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution (Early American Studies) by T. Cole Jones Hardcover $33.69 Running from Bondage: Enslaved Women and Their Remarkable Fight for Freedom in Revolutionary America by Karen Cook Bell Hardcover $15.80 Review Alex is in a similar situation. My question is who is the person that Joy sees in her flashback? I thought that Alex and Bob had kidnapped the girls and Bob had left Alex to take the fall. The priest trapping Mr. Jones in the basement to die. Even without dogs, in all the time spent around the aunts house no one noticed there were tracks behind an old supposedly non-functioning car? And the hidden basement with the hole in the ground. And what do you know, at the end of the movie, Kellers imprisoned by Holly Jones, Alexs aunt. This can be the complicated nature of someone who has been hurt as substantially as Alex has been hurt. To the point where it becomes undeniable that one theme of Us is the cultural state of America. When I watched I assumed that its contents were responsible for the heavy cognitive impairment that resulted in the state of the children upon their recovery at the hospital in addition to the mental trauma they suffered, and in the older victims contributed to a lifetime effect of mental vacancy and unresponsiveness seen in Alex. People need people and people need grace. If that is what youre thinking, high-five! Theres Amy Adamss character going about her life in the present day. Holly Jones was abducted in her neighbourhood after walking a friend home from school. Great acting, including Melissa Leo as Holly, so soft spoken, chilling. 9 talking about this. The fact that our two most faithful characters end the movie together, each trusting in their faith, is pretty beautiful. People are complicated. Prisoners (2013) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Denis Villeneuve Writing Credits Aaron Guzikowski . Its like Hollywood thinks they have conditioned us to just accept anything and call it clever. Cant remember. They dont explain it outright, but its inferred that Alexs real name had been Barry Coyler and that he had grown up in the house that the RV was parked in front of. That would have cinched the mystery early on. Buddy Holly was a singer songwriter from Lubbock Texas who died after a short 18 month career. I was so impatient with all the people not talking, but it makes sense now, the priest, bound by his guilt and confession rules, Alex, most likely having been drugged from an early age on which alters your brain and personality, and God knows what else these people did to him and Bob. Its less than a week? Great minds, Jasper. I mean, maybe I did in terms of Keller and Jesus lol. Actually, now that I think about it, it is possible that Holly was in fact trying to kill Anna by administering a lethal dose of opiates in that scene, since she would have realized by that point that she was at high risk of being caught by other parties. Ive got something to add: The use of the maze not not only serves as a representation of the cognitive dissonance of those abused or references the form of the information as it is laid out; it is also a cyclical device to show the nature of violence (as Kassovitz said, la Haine attire la Haine, or hate breeds hate). I was confused when Alex said that he was waiting for a man to come back and he never did. I think thats where I would start if I was going to write about the specific meaning of the snakes. I must say, I stumbled on to your site because of Prisoners but I really like what youre doing here as a whole! Nocturnal Animals, through cross-cutting, makes it clear theres a connection between what happens in the book and what happened in the relationship with Gyllenhaal. Into the frame comes the barrel of a shotgun. 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. So he moves the fridge and finds the body. Find latests mugshots and bookings from Abilene and other local cities. Bob Taylors house has mazes drawn on the walls. Cornton Vale I believe. Him being so a-type with all that stuff means he has his daughter carry that whistle, and its the whistle that he uses at the end to signal Loki. Keller will take matters into his own hands too! I hope this was helpful. I could see that. Or implied that he drove on his own just fine. He writes about complex movie endings, narrative construction, and how movies connect to the psychology of our day to day lives. Having a very prominent Christian first name and a very prominent Norse last name falls into place with the different spiritualities working together in the movie, which is maybe why hes the one to save the child in the end. But isnt it also highly unlikely that Taylor managed to buy clothes which looked exactly like the items worn by the girls? Biography Once a loving and religious woman, both Holly and her husband's minds soon took a twisted turn when their son died of cancer. Im not sure about that detail. Texas Department of Criminal Justice | PO Box 99 | Huntsville, Texas 77342-0099 | (936) 295-6371 Ty Chris. Hed have explained what happened. Holly and her husband based their abductions off of the book. A character who wears a Masonic ring. What is the connection between the snakes and girls clothes as well as the gaze in the boxes of the home of Taylor. But again, wow! She is also the VP of Wellness Development for . Its a solid theory. What happened to Alex after Loki found him? Barely existing. Who knows! His real parents are the prisoners. and murder on him. Which is why Keller knows to go back there, because its the only place hes been that Joy could have possibly been. Its a little of everything. Thematicallybeyond mazesreligion and trees are huge motifs. Location: 3794 Highway 468. I dont buy it. Some people will choose the hopeful outlook that being away from Holly means he has a chance at a decent future. Will Franklin and his wife have to testify against Keller for amnesty, because they were part of Alexs torture too. This, to me is where the whistle provides significant symbolism. But, like the title, things arent always so simple. I dont think theres a definitive answer. Theres a second Alex in Prisoners. And this guy being a carpenter, someone who turns living trees into objects. Instead, it purposefully scatters important details throughout the story, without chronological context, meaning its easy to forget them or not connect them the way we should connect them. Just some assumptions, like Kellers dad saw what happened to his co-worker and decided to become over protective of Keller. Chris, what do you think or D.s explanation regarding Alex waiting in the RV and crashing into the trees: Alex said that he was waiting for a man to come back and he never did. Loved this article it was very educational and breaks down the film in the easily digestible way you mentioned, you untangled this maze of a movie! Damn, its such a good movie. The girls went to Annas home to find her whistle. I have kids and if they were ever kidnapped I would pick them being killed than for them to do what Alex did. Theres the world within a book shes reading that was written by her ex (Jake Gyllenhaal, funny enough). My question is when Loki found Keller tortureing Alex, why wasnt he taken to the police station? confused just by this bit. Hi Chris A normal person probably doesnt run off like that. Keller needs someone to find him and pull him out of that pit, but he also needs that whistle thats only down there because his daughter was down there because she got kidnapped looking for it, though he gave it to her for her rescue so many months or years ago. In a sense, this is what Holly Jones and her husband carries on tooby killing children. But so many people missed this concept that Kendrick actually released a special edition of the album that was reverse chronological order. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. What a brilliant dissection of it all. Kellers faith in preparation creates a chain of events that causes his daughter to leave a whistle in the hole in Hollys yard. one question. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, director of photography (as Roger A. Deakins), key hairstylist (as Elizabeth 'Shawna' Robinson), make-up: Hugh Jackman (as Pamela Westmore), second second assistant director (as Michael E. Saunders), first assistant director (as Donald L. Sparks), construction medic (as Cindy Huggins R.N. But he is stuck in that child-like mentality and he did know what was going to happen to those kids, like he did with so many others. Yeah, I like the mixture of Christian and Norse. Have we been paying attention to all the clues that point to whether Loki will or wont find Keller? Did Hollys husband have more dirt on the priest that could have gotten him in more trouble? Not sure though) and it came out before Holly and her husband started the abductions. By leaving that choice in our hands, the film becomes a moment of reflection, of confrontation. The whole piece around the priest and Hollys husband seems a little loose to me. Why it happened? But his job is not straightforward as Keller, Anna's father is restless in the pursuit of his daughter and kickstarts his own investigation into her disappearance. Its full of images relating to Christian iconography and references. And yeah, Ralph is definitely a prisoner. Alex Jones (Prisoners) Detective Loki (Prisoners) Paul Sandow (The King) Holly Jones (Prisoners) Keller Dover; Please check the notes for additional warnings! Hobby Hes essentially trapped in being the caretaker for his mom. The main villain is in a war against the Christian God, while the hero is named after a god of Norse mythology. In this film, no character will ever be the same. You know hes going to be taken out of the hole. Just one question: how come the parents recognised their daughters clothes at the police station but didnt realise that they were not the ones the girls wore when they disappeared? This would explain why Alex was not able to drive the van. Sat, 21 Jun 2003. Holly Jones. Moreover, The two victims of the kidnappings, Alex and Bob, are both questioned about the location of the girls. $18.89 1 New from $18.89. Has astrological symbols tattooed on his hands. Blessings. Alex says In the maze, and Bob simply draws it. Bob Taylor hears about the girls gone missing and plays kidnapper by doing weird stuff like showing up at the vigil and stealing clothes and burying mannequins in his yard (. Ok, thanks for the response. I like it much better being ambiguous. The s**cide of Dover Sr definitely is the reason why Keller doesnt want to renovate his childhood home and adds another layer to that house where Alex is eventually imprisoned. So the star on Det. Holly Road 704-461-6200 704-461-6236 . This house is the same as the one alex was parked at the day of the girls abduction. He draws mazes on walls. Look Up An Inmate Jones County NC Jail. This is the father of Alex or Bob Taylor. So the beginning of Prisoners gets at themes of nature, religion, and violence. Chris, this was a fantastic analysis of a complex story, and dead on. Take revenge on God for killing her son by kidnapping other people's children, Kang the Conqueror (Marvel Cinematic Universe). How does a top detective let an old woman finish an injection, pick up a gun, stand up, turn around and get shots off instead of just taking her down when she has her back to him? Which can work for some, but not for everyone. Company Credits I cant remember how much time passes in the movie. The idea of faith comes up again and again. Right now, still leaning to it being Hollys deceased kid. Great minds. Those three movies do the normal thing of stacking information so that as the plot progresses we feel more knowledgeable and empowered about whats going on. Loki the trickster would be best able to figure out a maze (tricks) that bad people do/commit. My question is, why didnt he just tell the detective everything right then! I imagine this is part of the routine for her prisoners that keeps them in a lethargic state in their imprisonment. They are thinking about him, his lost life, and the lives of all the kids (two right down the street) that he devastated. Also known as: infinity. Especially with Christopher Nolan movies. Theres tension as Loki hears the whistle but dismisses it, hears it again, but dismisses it again, before hearing it another time. He had no criminal record, not even a parking ticket to his name. Did anyone watch the movie? In Joys flashback theres a note saying to complete all the mazes in the book. Also isnt the name Keller, too close to killer? But Prisoners doesnt neatly stack information. She was portrayed by Melissa Leo, who also played Sally in Oblivion . Ten-year-old Holly Jones disappears after walking her friend home in her Toronto neighbourhood. Each scene you can feel their presence. 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. Taylor was lucky enough to have survived (others did not), though its never explained how long he was there, or when he left, or howjust that he had been abducted, was kept by the Joneses, then was out being an adult. Im pretty sure it was Keller. It made me wonder if he also was carrying around some past trauma. When we first meet Holly, she tells Loki that her husband has been gone for 5 years. Got it (which is why Keller finds it in the hole at the end). It would add some nuance to Dovers backstory. The highly anticipated conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology by #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black. Prisoners puts that concept onto how people struggle to work through and escape from their traumas. When we were shooting, we did shoot a version where it goes a little beyond where the fade out is. A character whose first scene is talking about Zodiac signs. I think theres maybe also more to be found in how Keller is a doomsday prepper and the way that relates to the idea of judgement day, but I havent watched the movie with that in mind yet. His initial response is to dismiss it. How do we make sense of the bad in the world? Pre-order Price Guarantee. Then after Alex was let go, I think the police chief was hesitant to do anything more. Keller tells Ralph he isnt allowed to leave the house, he has to be an adult stay home and make sure Grace doesnt see the news. Toronto (AP)-On Friday, June 20th Toronto Police arrested Michael Briere, a 35 year old software developer, for the horrific murder of 10 year old Holly Jones. But Loki soon arrives at the scene and catches Holly before she can kill Anna. Type of Villain The simplest answer is just Theyre in shock and that makes memory difficult. Because its actually something the girls had, how else would it get there? We see from your examples (Alex telling Keller his girls cried after being interrogated, and his torture of the dog) that the abuse he has suffered has caused him to become capable of abuse himself. | Same with Loki. In Norse mythology, Lokis a big deal. Will Loki put 2+2 together and save Keller? Another thing is the significance of showing the prepper mindset and taking everything in his own hand and his general lack of trust in higher authorities including police and perhaps even more broadly God, and how that changed when he was in the most helpless situation in what he prepared nothing for, and yet found that red whistle which will save his life. Mini Major Victory At Olympia '08 For Ellen Whitaker & Holly Jones. Rather than the cast elevating in their own way. But he was released in 1995 after serving less than three years of his sentence. Occupation Kidnapping Serial Killer. Bridger is serving a full . It's time to celebrate #MyFlickrYear22! Chris, you have written a very good essay, and most of your explanations are sound and thoughtful. Almost a hundred years later, it can be pretty seamless. The next thing I remember is the detectives discussing giving Holly notice about Alex. So no coincidence! Because of that, theyve tortured other families to cause a similar crisis of faith and turn more people against God. Psychological imprisonment: Alex and Bob Taylor both suffer from the trauma of their kidnapping. While Norse mythology roots in paganism and associates with the natural world. Grace, Annas mother, goes from sad denial of reality to drugging herself into oblivion. 303 East Church Street Post Office Box 69 919-894-3616 919-894-2091 . Investigators from the Texas Attorney General's office walked into Holly's workplace on Tuesday and. English isnt my first language so I hope this made sense. Yet he still lives with Holly. They were scared enough to shut down and didnt move much/touch much until Alex dropped them off. Thanks. I just noticed something interesting. Joy and Anna see the RV while on a walk with their siblings, Ralph and Eliza. His rapid eye blinking is almost like a tick that may have varies meaningsone of which is that the man rarely blinks. Ends up bringing them home. To 247 Sports in 2016, Jones said, "I speak Chinese. We know this for a few reasons. But on the way back they saw the van and decided to play on it since their older siblings werent there to tell them no. A month? Theres a version where he moves the car and sees Hugh down there, and so on. Youre absolutely right. Whats it mean that Keller prays to God to save him from the hole and its Loki whos there? Or that hell never make a mistake. Why didnt Alex confess to the police or Keller? Thanks for the analysis. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have . I can see him being pretty off-grid. Mark Bridger, the former abattoir worker jailed for the sexually motivated murder of five-year-old April Jones, has been attacked in prison. In-roads. And Im pretty sure Holly Joness original kid was named Alex? Wow, I suppose Im late to the party because I only just watched it on Netflix. Kidnapping children. Its always really nice to have that experience where you grow into appreciating a movie. That would explain why Loki was driving so recklessly to the hospital. I believe they say that Alex often drove the van and looked at his old house? . Thanks. She feels God is anything but gracious. Alex spends most nights sleeping in the RV and does not have many things. Thats why Keller being a carpenter, just like Jesus was, cant be a coincidence, I think. High intelligenceGunmanship Prisoners Like inNocturnal Animals we have three stories being told. Alex is taken into custody, but is quickly released due to his IQ being the same as a ten year old. How did he get to Hollys house? 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. It doesnt matter that he was tortured. Meaning its on the viewer to actively complete the few missing pieces of the puzzle. Keller having Alex captive. 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. Please direct any questions regarding the information obtained on this site to the DOC . Youd have to add some sort of in-road, like a conversation she has at a party where she mentions she used to date someone who wanted to be a writer but she broke his heart. Holly and her husband, who used to be fundamentalist believers, might have practised snake-handling as part of their faith and would have kept snakes for that purpose. If you are going to edit a lot, then make yourself a user and login. Without your amazing, insight ful comments I would never have got any of it at all. Other questions. Tormenting those families we have Holly Jones. Perhaps another theme of the movie is communication. Among 747 males the risk of being a perpetrator was positively correlated with reported sexual abuse victim experiences. Yet hes equally difficult to understand. The current owners would would have been creeped out. Hundreds of Oklahoma inmates left prison Monday before their original sentences were over. I wanted to just add one thing! Denis Villeneuve and company accomplished this by placing key backstory and exposition details throughout the movie without ever having a scene that clearly ties them all together. Id need to double check that but the movie is off streaming. I thought that Alex and Bob were weirder than they needed to be, and in their bizarreness, not real, and therefore, not anyone that I could mourn for, though what theyd been through was terrible. Thus, we know how long he was there. Hardcover.