From the very start I had suspected that the lady might he the abductor.
For me it did not live up to the standards, cause i had high hopes from reviews I was reading.
The ending was the abrupt, and then the whole maze, snakes thing was not explained well.
And what about the guy who shot himself, i am so confused, help me understand this movie.
the maze thing is actually the whole point - holly's husband drew those mazes obsessively as a way to symbolize how lost and trapped the kids would feel, its like psychological torture before the physical stuff. the guy who shot himself (alex's dad) couldn't handle what they were doing to kids anymore and bailed, leaving holly to continue alone with alex
the ending isnt really abrupt once you realize keller is probably gonna get found - you hear him blowing that whistle right as loki is walking away, and loki definitely heard something. denis villeneuve doesnt spoon feed everything but the pieces are all there if you pay attention
6
Comfortable_Break387Mar 25, 2026
+4
I don't think Alex's dad shot himself. He went to the priest and confessed what he'd done, and the priest was so appalled by the confession that he trapped Alex's dad in his basement and let him die.
4
PetBearCubMar 25, 2026
+1
>the guy who shot himself (alex's dad)
I think OP meant David Dastmalchian's character.
1
AffectionateFig4356Mar 25, 2026
+1
>!It's not clear whether he will be found. Villeneuve shot another ending where Loki pulls Dover out of the pit. !<
1
Comfortable_Break387Mar 25, 2026
+6
The guy who shot himself was abducted by the lady and her husband. They've been kidnapping kids for a long time. He eventually got out but was understandably fucked up by his abduction, and so he buys children's clothes and follows the other abductions that happen in the movie. He's basically a red herring; you're supposed to think he's the abductor because all of the evidence suggests that he would, and if you buy into that you kind of forget that the actual abductor lady was plenty suspicious herself.
6
mannered_sapienMar 26, 2026
+1
Yes but then why was Alex and this guy not sharing the truth about this lady? I am kind of confused.
Why did that guy shoot himself? And Alex game so much pain?
1
Comfortable_Break387Mar 26, 2026
+1
They're both mentally broken by the years they've spent with the abductors. The guy who shot himself is basically stuck with this obsession over the maze symbol and is traumatized to the point of not talking about anything that happened to him. Alex has been Stockholm-syndromed into helping kidnap other kids. It takes him basically being boiled alive for him to even be able to admit his real name isn't Alex.
The guy shoots himself because he realizes there's pretty much 0 chance he's not going down for the recent kidnappings. The detective all but declared that when he first meets him. Also, the detective is so aggressive in his questioning that it brings back painful memories, and the guy's trauma gets the best of him.
I loved this movie. It's been years since seeing it, so I can't answer all your questions. I just wanted to extoll this movie. I do remember thinking Jackman's character was going to be saved at the end.
I thought this was Hugh Jackman's best performance ever. Paul Dano and Jake Gyllenhall also put on a masterclass in acting.
Try watching it again, your opinion may change with time and reflection.
2
CakeMadeOfHamMar 25, 2026
+2
Yeah you didn't understand the movie. Take some time and rewatch it. It's insanely tightly written and well directed.
2
themadcanerMar 25, 2026
+2
Don’t be disappointed in the movie because you lack comprehension.
2
Pale_Possibility5083Mar 25, 2026
+1
First off, good on you for clocking the lady right away, I sure didn’t.
The Maze with the snakes thing was simply Holly and Her Hisbands torture method orlf forcing victims “to lose all faith” not much more to it really. Bob was a former victim who obsessively recreated his trauma by reanacting it.
The whole movies theme is about how trauma is handed down over and over endlessly and people trying to stop it. Like the man who killed the priest in the basement.
Or when Jackman is hurt he hurts the Paul Dano character in return and on and on.
Frankly I loved the ending I thought it was cathartic. When Loki was blasting down that rain drenched street as the poison is seeping into the little girls veins my heart was POUNDING. I get a little emotional everytime I see it. He came this far to rescue her only to almost lose her in the end, the way the needle echoes a deadly snake bite.
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