It Stays with You

Rating: 6/10 (21 February 2019)

Today, I found myself changing my initial rating. I had originally given it 4 stars for kinda disliked, but changed it to 6 for kinda liked, for the simple fact that I think about this movie often. Maybe I rated it so low before because its depth got to me. The character arc of Derek, portrayed by Edward Norton to sheer perfection, is amazing, to make an understatement. The magnifying lens into people's souls is thought - provoking unlike anything else I've ever seen, most notably when the most ironic of climaxes occurs. Because of their lack of true racism, Derek denounces the Aryan Brotherhood and is raped, beaten and left for dead, only for him to be saved by Lamont, a black - man. To see the anguish Derek endures to try to repair his misdeeds, first through his friendship with Lamont, and later through his little brother is heart - wrenching and for Danny (Edward Furlong) to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of racism provided a visceral reaction few movies have gotten from me. I cried. It was sad to see someone's little brother die. I was sad for Derek. I was sad for humanity.