Got it (which is why Keller finds it in the hole at the end). What if he was like the sex offender priest, who thought no one would believe him if he spoke out, so the priest thought that only HE could stop Hollys husband the way that he did! Welcome to the colossal explanation of Prisoners. Armed with a hidden gun, Keller heads to see Holly, but she soon learns he knows she kidnapped the girls and prepares her own revolver, which she aims at him upon arrival without hesitation once he voices he knows the truth. Its almost like the style and story carry the movie and the cast is just kind of there. Into the frame comes the barrel of a shotgun. The whistle is universal, no words are needed, no language barrier, only the unmistakable call for help. I thoroughly enjoyed it and now need to watch this movie again. That unmerited favor that we cannot predict or control. The fastest growing independent movie & tv news website! Will never see the world again. The screenwriter, Aaron Guzikowski, did an interview with Buzzfeed and just straight up said: Oddly enough, thats how it was in the script when it was bought. But then you look at the structure of Prisoners, how it tells its story, how it reveals information, theres an understanding that the maze stuff wasnt just to spice up the thrills (as some people have complained). A forensic inspection of the cloths however, reveals that the blood belonged to a pig, and then Joy suddenly wakes up. But sometime during Kellers torture of Alex, the dynamic changes. He was parked outside of his old house in the camper when the girls came by and got in the camper with him. I believe the drug Holly was injecting into Anna was ketamine. Just some observations. As well as confusion about who they really whereid also venture to guess that abuse was also a big part of the experience as you also mentionedso a confused prison of the mind. 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! Hed have explained what happened. But he was released in 1995 after serving less than three years of his sentence. The other maze to be found would be that; Holly drugs her victims with a concoction that may have LSD or similarthe fbi book refers to this and she does as well, when talking to and then forcing Keller to drink. I still enjoyed the movie and your article, though ? She seems to think it is Kellar but thats obviously wrong. Alex Jones (Prisoners) Detective Loki (Prisoners) Paul Sandow (The King) Holly Jones (Prisoners) Keller Dover; Please check the notes for additional warnings! He doesnt have the practical personality to do whatever it takes for a certain resultthats not bad, but in this situation, it makes things complicated. confused just by this bit. 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? When we were shooting, we did shoot a version where it goes a little beyond where the fade out is. So the next best thing was to imprison him? Holly Jones disappeared from her west-end Toronto neighbourhood in 2003, raped and murdered by Michael Briere. Seems to me that she couldve just opened the door normally and she wouldve gotten away with it, since Loki was only there to tell her about Alex. The main story of Prisoners is the kidnapping of two young girls. So when TD robbed the place, he didnt shoot Kendricks dad. Thanks for reading it all! He clearly remembers something about his life before the abduction, otherwise he wouldnt park at his old house. So you could try and argue that it just means the girls didnt struggle. Taylor remembered the snakes, and it was Hollys husband who had the obsession, so it makes sense that we dont see them again in the film at Hollys house. Hes thematically relevant to Prisoners but not crucial to what happens and how it happens. 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. We (and Keller) struggle to understand whats going through Alexs mind. He was the guy with boyish good. I hesitate though because Bob was out of the house and living on his own. So no coincidence! What is the game detail? In Prisoners (2013) Holly Jones' house number 1634 is an apparent reference to Acts 16:16-34 the story of Paul and Silas in prison. But the CSI experts would surely have noticed if the van had been cleaned very recently, and that small detail would have been suspicious as well. The kidnapping stunted both young men. In Pennsylvania, Keller Dover, his wife Grace, son Ralph, and daughter Anna celebrate Thanksgiving with their friends Franklin and Nancy Birch, and their dau. Three things that we see come up again and again throughout the film. Awesome article Chris and I love that youre still replying to people after all this time! And yeah, the book was about what Holly and her husband were doing. Kendricks dad had always given Top Dawg extra biscuits on the house. His initial response is to dismiss it. Bobs almost completely externalized his pain. (But is also comes from the old Scandinavian meaning a ravine, gap, gorge, or a crevasse between cliffs. The French, Celtics, and Gauls all had similar versions of the word (Douvres, Dubrs, and Dubris, respectively) and all meant water as well. The last shot of the movie is Loki, at night, hearing a faint whistle. Before you trash this post, and think Im a nut case, please view the first 5 minuets of my video. You might think thats the end of it. 'Prisoners' is an engrossing crime thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve. Each scene you can feel their presence. That idea is expressed in Robert Frosts Birches and also the Blackfoot myth Why the Birch Tree Wears the Slashes in Its Bark. Alex succumbs to Kellers torture and mentions a maze, so Keller goes to Hollys house to see if she will reveal something about a maze. The rest are just kind ofdoing their part? So, maybe after recalling what Annas mother said, he might be able to link that to the sound of the whistle at Hollys house and try to find Keller. one question. Accepting not just the bad but the good as well. And yeah, Ralph is definitely a prisoner. Its like Hollywood thinks they have conditioned us to just accept anything and call it clever. Im not sure about that detail. etc. Under certain agreements and special circumstances, we . Take revenge on God for killing her son by kidnapping other people's children (partially succeeded).Kill Loki and any other interfering witnesses (failed). 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. That says a lot about his mental state, the degree of Stockholm Syndrome hes experiencing. And it seems he gets clothes to dress the mannequins. So right there in the last names of the two main families, we see more religious references. In the hospital, Joy says to Keller, You were there, which Keller realizes means Hollys house and that Holly wasnt an innocent old lady. The first kid they ever took was Alex in 1987, who was actually Barry Milland. She was murdered by Michael Briere who plead guilty to first degree murder and got life in prison with no parole for 25years. In the scene in which Prisoners, directed by sci-fi movie master Denis Villeneuve, reveals that Holly was responsible for the kidnapping, it is also revealed that Taylor was a former victim of the Jones' that actually escaped, and Holly forgot he existed until he appeared in the news. If the dogs came by at all. Theres an FBI book about a serial abductor who was obsessed with mazes. His real parents are the prisoners. Yet hes equally difficult to understand. When I think of mazes, I think of complications. But if the kid WAS named Alex, I think Barry/Alex is saying that when he was a kid, the Joneses lured him to their house by asking if Barry wanted to play with their son. Was that really Keller or was that someone else, and was she confused because of all the drugs she used bc of Holy. How does one start to put into words something thats as cosmically horrific as being stolen and everything that follows? 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. Weve talked a lot about prisons already, so this might be repetitious to you. So yes, the maze stuff in Prisoners is part of the basic plot. A funny example is Kendrick Lamars 2017 album, Damn. After this all goes down a lot of parents get closure, the two families go home and deal with court stuff, but this family has a living ghost that haunts them 24/7. Full Name Three years later, as he was serving a 23-year prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Jones failed to report for a prison check after working in a . There are characters named Grace and Joy. July 10, 2021 Investigation Discovery's 'The Lake Erie Murders: Blood in the Water' chronicles the brutal killing of 10-year-old Holly Jones in Ontario, Canada. I believe that Loki will save Keller. I am impressed by how you have dissected each and every detail down to the meaning of the characters names. Just not anything more than did what they needed. And I read some of it after watching the film a little. Absorbing film, but the one thing that bothers me is that the whole film rides on Alex not talking, and I dont buy it. And was the name given by the Romans to Dover, England, according to DoverHistorian.com. They may walk away. To find an inmate, please enter the name OR the ID number, and then click the SEARCH button. In Christianity, water is a major theme, playing a vital role in baptism and the idea of purity. 100 Belmont-Mt. What didnt make sense to me was that the parents didnt seem to remember what the girls were wearing at the time of the abduction. Holly Jones is the main antagonist of the 2013 thriller film Prisoners. Now imagine Taylor and Alex being there for years and years. I loved the movie and really appreciate you breaking it down like that. Theres a second Alex in Prisoners. Cornton Vale I believe. Theyre prisoners, right? Chris, this was a fantastic analysis of a complex story, and dead on. Chris, you have written a very good essay, and most of your explanations are sound and thoughtful. Hi Chris The exact opposite of what you would expect him to do based on what you know about his religion. The priest is a registered sex offender, but how should he stop a child killer? It is an experience that invites us to peel off the layers and try to make meaning from its moving images. While Lokis faith in following signs guides him right to the imprisoned Keller. Alex is taken into custody, but is quickly released due to his IQ being the same as a ten year old. Alex invited them into the van. Finally returning to the movie and looked into this. A theme in the Star Wars universe is that good is associated with light and bad is associated with darkness. The length contributes to your analysis of the compounding effects of abduction over time, depicted in the varying lengths of how long they spent in the maze Joy seems the most available afterwards, but Anna is more slow to integrate; then Taylor, who is surprisingly capable (has a house, quite a capable thief, etc) while still being extremely myopic and distressed; and Alex, who is the mostly deeply shut off from the world. and if so, I guess its just coincidence that Hollys husband had a maze around his neck and that they left mazes in the locked room? Holly shoots Dover in the leg and imprisons him in a concealed pit in her yard, where he finds the police whistle belonging to his daughter. Also, I thought Holly was injecting Anna with venom and that Loki was rushing the girl to hospital to get her the anti-venom in time. I thought it was. Rather than face the sobering realization that she may have left the protection of her family entirely on her husbands shoulders ( according to the screenplay, she drank wine and was tipsy at the Thanksgiving get-together, but he just drank milk), she would rather sleep because she loves her children and husband deeply and gladly serves what he prepares in the more safe and secure world that he is trying to create for themso its complicated. Its Grace who, in the wake of her daughter being stolen, completely falls apart. When Keller left the hospital, he went to Hollys house. Right before the altercation with Keller, we witnessed a stare down between Alex and Loki after Loki had spent hours belittling, demeaning, and flexing on Alex in the interrogation room. Its always really nice to have that experience where you grow into appreciating a movie. Good people do bad things, bad people do good thingsThe wicked knowingly and methodically try to spread their wickedness to as many as they can. This is such a fantastic analysis. Why is there snakes? It put tape on my mouth. But in the moments before she speaks, we see Joys memory of escaping, the flashes of being in the house, on the ground, someone leaving the room, the book of mazes they had to complete, running away. Not sure how much I buy into it, but its an example. This would be how they have the image of the maze. Thank you for explaining this! The body had been decomposing for a number of years. Thank you for your insight Chris! LONG VERSION: Holly and her husband were religious zealots until their young son died of cancer. Both Taylor and Alex are old enough that they could physically move beyond what happened to them. Alex drives his RV to the house he had been abducted from in 1987, the home of his actual parents. But keep up the good work! Is the father a sex offender himself? The girl saw him or heard him though he didnt see the girl. In this film, no character will ever be the same. So he went to speak with Alexs mom (Barrys mom). And Loki literally arresting people with the intent of sending them to prison. Police Chief Julian Fantino told a news conference that Michael Briere, 35, has been charged with first-degree murder. But I can see that the parents were in so much shock that they wouldnt remember what the girls were wearing when they were taken. So, Loki had been investigating the house that the RV was parked in front of and he found out it was once the home of a couple whose son, Barry Coyler, went missing. Theres Amy Adamss character going about her life in the present day. I like it much better being ambiguous. Finally, when Lokis at Hollys house, suspicious because he thinks Keller might be there and might have done something awful, he sees the picture in the bedroom. Before we talk about mazes, lets talk about in-roads. History. You did an amazing job! Why didnt the priest report him to the authorities at the time? In-roads. An in-road is a purposeful element that the writer/director includes to clue the viewer in on thematic subtext or plot mysteries. To talk about Prisoners, it helps if we un-maze the story by laying out its key events in chronological order. Or the DA who brought the charges would lose their next election lol. My guess is he's been blowing the whistle for days without anybody being able to hear him during the excavation. I dont know where his faith lie, but it was grace that got him through. Especially with Christopher Nolan movies. The best answer I can think of is its been long enough and theyre desperate enough for any lead that they dont question it. Yeah, it seems thats the case. The Bob Taylor detail was one I didnt include in why response. They took Bob Taylor a few years later and he escaped after three weeks; Holly forgot all about him until reading the newspaper recently. Alex knows where the children are, but if he wants his Aunt in jail, and therefore stopped for good, he cant tellso its complicated. She clearly loved her son so much since his death broke her sanity and stripped her of any morals. The next thing I remember is the detectives discussing giving Holly notice about Alex. In Joys flashback theres a note saying to complete all the mazes in the book. The overall rate of having been a victim was 35% for perpetrators and 11% for non-perpetrators. Just that Alex went to see his old house, which is near the Birchs house. Thats cool, thats interesting. As a forensic psychologist I also question the alleged motives of some of Alexs and Taylors actions. How did the FBI agent know about the mazes?? We know its coming from Keller Dover, trapped underground. But I think most of what you said in Prisoners is within the realm of acceptable. Loki is on team giant and kills the god Heimdall. Did Hollys husband have more dirt on the priest that could have gotten him in more trouble? Just some assumptions, like Kellers dad saw what happened to his co-worker and decided to become over protective of Keller. Beyond that, the story plays out in such a way that it intentionally leaves viewers to put together key details. 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. Also, the first time we see the girls outside theyre wearing gloves. Stick a piece over your mouth and see how ridiculously easy it is to open your mouth. Martin Luther No text message will ever replace the first kiss. Have we been paying attention to all the clues that point to whether Loki will or wont find Keller? The number of prisoners held in private facilities accounts 128,300 inmates US has 1,393,975 male and 111,422 female prisoners US Imprisonment Rate is 450 people per 100.000 residents, 847 for males and 64 for females The majority of the inmates - 16.3% are between 30-34 years of age Why isnt the aunts house and grounds searched with dogs? Hi Chris, thank you. Kellers faith in preparation creates a chain of events that causes his daughter to leave a whistle in the hole in Hollys yard. And what do you know, at the end of the movie, Kellers imprisoned by Holly Jones, Alexs aunt. Norse mythologys climax is Ragnarok, where gods fight giants and everyone dies. Origin It requires the work of both men to save the girls. It doesnt matter that he was tortured. How do we have faith when bad things happen? I mean, maybe I did in terms of Keller and Jesus lol. And the imprisoned Alex Jones eventually tells his captor that the girls are, In the maze.. It made me wonder if he also was carrying around some past trauma. This causes him to go blind, and although he doesnt cause an earthquake like Loki in mythology, he almost crashes a few times as he speeds down the highway to save the little girl who is suffering from the poison. 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. If you skipped right to his section, welcome! Avatar is kind of similar. Were purposefully left to figure it out on our own. My question is when Loki found Keller tortureing Alex, why wasnt he taken to the police station? Tue 9 Jul 2013 06.45 EDT. Theyll each find salvation because of it. my city inspector wasatch county; latch board of directors; most annoying sound in the world hippo; quebec flood zone map 2019; the villa restaurant bishops stortford menu; holly jones prisoners. The characters are great. Hey! Join Facebook to connect with Holly Jones and others you may know. 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. Anna's father Keller is however convinced that Alex is the culprit, and soon takes him hostage, torturing him for information. Location: 3794 Highway 468. His aunt also says that he just wanted to play and thats why he took the girls. Keller will take matters into his own hands too! That was still the day of Joys escape, maybe only a few hours later. There is a scene at the end of the film when Loki saves the little girl and the culprit shoots him, injuring him, then his blood flow into his eye. Bob Taylor survived his abduction but cant move beyond the trauma of it. She had been jailed for trying to post 10.4g of heroin back to Australia in 2000 and pleaded guilty and sentenced to 31 years in jail in 2003. As Villeneuve says, the trees are linked with the idea of necessary violence If you look at that in the sense that trees are chopped down to build homes, there is a sense that this violence against nature is necessary to provide shelter and comfort. In-roads arent always necessary, as many artists will use more obvious devices. Thematicallybeyond mazesreligion and trees are huge motifs. Experienced Human Resources professional with a Law Degree focused on Labor & Employment Law coursework. I thought this was the whole reason behind Keller being obsessed with preparing for the worst, that his dad had been facing something he was unable to cope with and killed himself as his only way out of that situation. Prisoners (2013) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Denis Villeneuve Writing Credits Aaron Guzikowski . Splashing pigs blood on childrens clothes he then locks in boxes with snakes. Thanks for the excellent analysis. The list of things that Buddy did before anyone else is long. Ive had that happen and few times and it sticks with you. After the shocking events of The Stolen Heir, Prince Oak is in deeper trouble than ever before. An upstairs bathroom could lose power but the bedroom down the hall might be on a separate breaker and still have power. So he definitely has a cruel streak. She was portrayed by Melissa Leo, who also playedSally in Oblivion. And the movie deals a lot with the circle of life, the dawning of a new age, new beginnings, etc. Also isnt the name Keller, too close to killer? Ty Chris. 9 talking about this. Has astrological symbols tattooed on his hands. By not showing Kellers rescue, were left with a choice: do we have faith in Loki or dont we? Its a solid theory. 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. Join our movie club to get similar movie recommendations and stories delivered to your inbox every Friday. Its really just Loki and Keller who keep their faith. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. You know hes going to be taken out of the hole. I believe that Loki will find and rescue Keller because: 1. But the important thing is that once youre aware of this motif, you can re-watch the movie and appreciate what it adds to the overall experience of Prisoners and the meaning you derive from it. And Loki was the catalyst in Taylor committing suicide. I think the layman tends to miss out on the motifs but grasps the plot. Which is why he ends up taking his own life. The profound trauma capable of changing the intrinsic nature of a person, their beliefs, their language. I just think thats the moment when the movie is ready to end. Thanks for your reply, Chris! Almost a hundred years later, it can be pretty seamless. The Ministry of Justice said 2.02 per day is spent on . Barely talking. Hi Chris and everyone who has commented. Also, are we sure Holly is not in the van as well? It made writing the piece very cathartic. Joel Cox, the editor, felt very strongly about it. And yes, it also reinforces the theme of imprisonment, because a maze can be, after all, a prison and almost every character in Prisoners is working through some kind of maze (physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual). Thats a really good question. And Im pretty sure Holly Joness original kid was named Alex? The film has an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, and Paul Dano. Remember, he was over at the house one time and talks with Holly. How do you know the Birchs house is Alexs old house? What a coincidence that the character with that name ends the movie in a hole in the ground?! 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. I thought that Alex and Bob had kidnapped the girls and Bob had left Alex to take the fall. This movie is deeply moving and having this info you provided helps me get why I felt this intense sense of spirituality behind the movie but couldnt quite put my finger on it. Spiritual imprisonment: Holly and her husband found it impossible to move beyond their belief God had wronged them. Das Drehbuch schrieb Aaron Guzikowski. Kind of like when he lifts the dog. I get thinking Alex not talking is weird/problematic. The murderers are killing kids on a decades-long crusade against God because their own child died. I also think it is highly unlikely that Taylor managed to break into both houses and steal the items without being noticed at all. Prisoners puts that concept onto how people struggle to work through and escape from their traumas. CSP-Sacramento is located adjacent to Folsom State Prison. Its complicated and not effective. Lokis neck is a badgeso along with your hypothesishis god is justice/prison. Thanks for the analysis. Then brought him home and he kept waiting for Alex to come play. Hobby Now if Nocturnal Animals didnt have flashbacks, if we only saw Adams read this book and get emotional but otherwise live her life normallythat wouldnt work. Staring at suspect: Just because Loki has no unsolved cases doesnt mean everything he does is perfect. But his instinct, thoroughness, and curiosity get the better of him. Instead, he draws a maze. In the Bible the snake is definitely associated with temptation. So he moves the fridge and finds the body. moment. Unbeknownst to him, Joy and Anna are in another room and Joy sees him/hears him. The filmmaking is great. They move the car. I think they were just going to notify her that he was found. Yo Zach! We saw him hurt the dog. Constantly updated. Thats why Keller being a carpenter, just like Jesus was, cant be a coincidence, I think. and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. We know Bob Taylor was abducted by Holly Jones and her husband. Why didnt Alex confess to the police or Keller? The pause on Netflix is infuriating. Also could represent David and Goliath and figuring out the maze was a Goliath task. 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. Her character is the embodiment of the spiritual crisis the Joneses hope to enact. I loved a lot of the explanations here, hit the nail on the head. But its also a clue from the filmmaker to treat the movie as a maze. 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 (. I read somewhere Lokis first name is David its on a screen or card thats flashed in one of the scenes. Theres a reason that scriptwriter Aaron Guzikowski and director Denis Villeneuve included the scene of Alex yanking the dog off the ground by the leash to watch it choke and kick. Now these parents have a son that kidnaps/molests/drugs/kills little kids. Holly secretly pulls out a pistol and begins shooting at Loki, who panics and manages to move our the way. Federal Inmates. Loki the trickster would be best able to figure out a maze (tricks) that bad people do/commit. State Representative Holly Jones, a Republican, represents part of St. Louis County (District 88) in the Missouri House of Representatives. With all the opportunity to gush to the police about what happenedhe stays silent. Yet he still lives with Holly. Barry was kept by Holly, where she renamed him Alex and told him she was his aunt. This technique is more common in artsy projects than it is mainstream ones. It asks you what you believe in. Holly Jones Prisoners Quotes & Sayings Enjoy reading and share 6 famous quotes about Holly Jones Prisoners with everyone. Hi Lory! It would also explain why the surviving victims displayed lack of speech; they were so warped by their drug-induced experiences they were no longer capable of communicatingprisoners in their own minds. 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! Not what was actually going on. Like inNocturnal Animals we have three stories being told. Keller would definitely not have charges pressed. Hope that made sense haha! Because Holly cant steal children easily on her own, fewer children go missing. High intelligenceGunmanship It's time to celebrate #MyFlickrYear22! Loki goes to the Jones's house to tell her that her nephew has been found. I dont think its entirely unrealistic. Prisoners ist ein US-amerikanischer Spielfilm aus dem Jahr 2013 unter der Regie von Denis Villeneuve. Grace, Annas mother, goes from sad denial of reality to drugging herself into oblivion. We then have Bob Taylor being obsessed with mazes and the FBI agents book detailing how the child abductor dubbed the Invisible Man had used mazes. Huntley, a former school caretaker killed schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002 after they went missing from a family BBQ. While I was watching the film in board day-light, I crotched my teddy bear with me, something I dont normally do as its that scary! Ten-year-old Holly Jones disappears after walking her friend home in her Toronto neighbourhood. Does no one in Hollywood understand these simple things or are they such standard props that we are supposed to accept them knowing full well how ludicrous they are?