Powerful Bleakness

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2018)

One of the most dark and depressing movies and stories ever come across, yet Mystic River is a pleasure to watch and more than that, to think about at laying awake in bed nights after. A summation of brilliant subtle & understated acting, pushed to the limits by the fact that every character had something boiling beneath the surface and an undercurrent of swinging hopefulness yet hopelessness.
The key idea that the movie brings out is that there is no redemption. And no escape. It sells the disheartening idea that everything perpetuates through our lives - our griefs, our prejudices, our weaknesses, our flaws and that there is no escaping these. That there are no arcs, despite everything we see we don't really change. There are givers and takers, the weak and strong, the bullies and the bullied. It says that the weak will forever remain the weak, the bullied will remain bullied forever. In fact, it goes on so much as to hint that these "characteristics" of ours will propagate from one generation to another. The weak will attract the weak and the kings will attract the queens. No redemption and no escape. Terrible, depressing idea isn't it. Could makes one want to kill themselves as it did in the movie.
In cinema, where most stories show characters developing and changing through their lives, this movie says the opposite - that even over twenty odd years, our basic traits and choices remain the same. Reminds me of that poem in the Synecdoche, New York: "Whoever has no house now, will never have one. Whoever is alone, will stay alone. Will sit, read, write long letters, through the evening. And wander the boulevards, up and down, restlessly. While the dry leaves, are blowing."