MovieChat Forums > Heart of America (2003) Discussion > Ricky

Ricky

posted 18 years ago by kett_fan
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Durning the scense where Ricky and his friends are talking with Ricky's brother, Ricky's attitude changes. It seems like he felt bad for what he did to Daniel and Barry. I think that he changed because after hearing the story of "Slow White" he realized what his brother was really like, and I think he didn't want to be like that. I think he also realized that what is brother did was wrong and that sort of made him realize that what he did was wrong. What do you think? Any other idea's?

[–] style414 18 years ago

I agree. He definitely lost respect for his brother during that scene, and it also showed how sorry he felt at the end when he told his friend to leave the shooter alone. but of course it was too late for him then.

but you can take a look at that in a religious context and take it as him asking for forgiveness before he is killed.

[–] shmeevil 18 years ago

That scene confused me....I understand that Ricky felt bad after he heard his brother's story about "Slow White" and everything, but I don't get why he picked THAT story/event out of all of the other things he's done to be profoundly discouraged about and effected....of course I think that raping a mentally slow girl is absolutley terrible (and not to mention probably the worst out of everything he's done...which I think is implied,) but is that why he changed his outlook? Because he loved to rub kids' faces in *beep* and brutally humiliate people by making them get erections but all of a sudden realized it was wrong after hearing a story about raping a mentally slow girl? Or was it because before/during/after hearing the story his friends/brother told him that he would turn out just like him, which he felt was limiting and would rather be something bigger than a rapist for the rest of his life? I wish they developed that part a little more...it seemed like one of the most powerful parts of the movie....

[–] kett_fan 18 years ago

I think it was a little of both. Sometimes one story will affect someone and other times another story won't. Something someone says can make someone else see that if they don't shape up then they'll be just the same. So really, I think it was the story that made Ricky see that if he didn't start changing he'd end up just like like his brother. But I guess it was already too late.

[–] scarlet-anne 18 years ago

I'm totaly agree with Kett fan.
But one more... I don't think that Ricky completely changed.
I think it was temporary trend. He would continue bulling in collage, at work, in family, mayby. Nothing can cange a man that has such attitude to people..
I mean the dividing of mankind into Better and Worse...

Anna Lestatovna
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[–] honesty_in_a_bottle 18 years ago

I think it was more that Ricky realized that his brother didn't even know that what he did was wrong. His brother's story was a cheerful, idealized version of the real thing, as if the kid just couldn't see what was really going on around him. Since Ricky knew the real story, that a mentally challenged girl was gang-raped, it started him thinking about his own actions and how he might be just like his brother, idealizing horrible acts of sexual violence.

This is one of the things that I like about the movie: The people who realize that they've done something wrong (Ricky, the teacher) are the ones who die. The survivors never figure it out. One of the bullies even ends up being celebrated as a hero. It's a nice little extra piece of ugliness.

[–] rollercoasterchick 18 years ago

I think Ricky changed because he knew that what he did to Daniel and Barry made him just the same as his brother. The biggest part of it though, is that I think Ricky saw that his brother had absoluty no remorse for what he did to "Slow White." I think that Ricky didn't want to be the type of person who do something like that and then think it could be used as a story to impress people the way his brother did.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Ernest_Hero 11 years ago

I agree with @shmeevil. I also found the scene rather confusing...it's obvious that Ricky felt rather uncomfortable (however, why didn't the other jocks show a similar sense of unease, I don't think that they were necessarily more callous than Ricky), but I don't understand how this could be the first time he learns about his own brother's actions (they share the same household) and "Slow White" (surely this subject matter must have been brought up on prior occasions by Frank, as he doesn't seem to feel guilty about it). Also, I was not totally sure whether "Slow White" was raped, one is given the impression that she was actually enjoying the attention of Ricky's brother and his pals, so there is a chance that it was (at least initially) a consensual sexual encounter.

"Be aware of your own inner ideology!"