The story is simple. Three childhood partners became alienated because one of them was sexually harassed. 25 years later, the daughter of one of them (Jimmy) was killed. The police officer in charge of the case was also one of his friends, Sean, and the biggest suspect was the victim Dave 25 years ago. The incident has linked the fate of the three people together.
Dave's unfinished name on the concrete floor seemed to allude to half of his life. He hates the people who hurt him, hates Jimmy, hates Sean. The pain made him numb to the pain of others, maybe he thought it was just a punishment, a punishment for Jimmy. And the child's experience that night really stung his heart, and the truth and justice he had hidden for a long time also poured out, but the revelation of his true feelings sent him on a road of no return. The car left with young Dave and the scene of Sean's friends driving him away 25 years later formed a perfect echo. The first departure destroyed his personality, but the second departure hit his life.
Dave's wife was also a key figure who pushed him into the abyss, and Dave's confession to her that night only added her fear and doubt. Dave didn't get sympathy, and even his wife didn't have the ability to understand him. Only the mysterious river contains everything, resentment, cowardice, and sin.
In an article, I saw this comment on the film: In this mysterious river of life, everyone has never helped each other and failed to redeem themselves. They have become victims of falling into the water. At this time, I just understood the meaning of "Mystic River". In the film, every character seems to have hidden secrets. Jimmy has a disgraceful history, Sean has a broken family, and Dave has eternal pain. No one lets each other and trust each other, so the secret is still a secret, just like the last scene of the film, the scene turns from the sky to the river, it seems to seek the real secrets in people's hearts, but only a darkness.
The icy river and the indifference between people are intertwined together to form this meaningful movie. Is Dave's son, a child who grew up in Nie Yuan, a monthly "father-bereavement allowance" of 500 yuan enough to bury his happiness? Many years later, who would prepare him a pistol hidden in the attic?
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