Behind the Scenes Look at Prisoners
Prisoners is a 2013 American thriller film with an emotional complexity and a sense of of dread that makes for an absorbing and distrubing viewing. Directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay written by Aaron Guzikowski. The film has an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano.
PHOTO CREDIT: IndieWire
“Some will write off Prisoners as shameless exploitation. But like Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River, to which it’s been compared, Prisoners is so artfully shaped and forcefully developed that objections fade. The great cinematographer Roger A. Deakins (No Country for Old Men) brings a classic rigor to the film as his camera finds the secret crevices of this blue-collar community and the ravaged faces of its lost children and damaged parents. Villeneuve takes his unflashy time building character and revealing troubled psyches in the most unlikely of places. His work with the exemplary actors results in a film of startling impact, packed with twists you don’t see coming. You can’t shake it.”
What was our biggest takeaway from Prisoners?
It will make you question your morals.
It's easy to write off violent actions in a film when the situation is far from one you can realistically imagine yourself in. Even for those of us who don't have kids of our own, you feel his pain and emotional trauma. Still, he pushes the limits of what's right and wrong - to the point where you're not sure who to sympathize with. His character represents the goodness in us all that is easily corruptible with enough pain. How far is too far, and in the end, does our own suffering matter more than another's?*
