MovieChat Forums > Rudderless (2015) Discussion > The character of the son seemed a bit of...

The character of the son seemed a bit off to me - spoiler alert

posted 9 years ago by Kroyall1962
7 replies | jump to latest

I liked this film alot but I was a little put off by the fact they tried to portray the son as a fairly average kid with no outward signs of mental problems.

Most of the real shooters we hear about are pretty "out there" once their personal lives become known to the public. Many struggle with depression and/or were social outcasts. Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Jared Lee Loughner, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold , Seung-Hui Cho, and Elliot Rodger were all known to be pretty messed up for example.

This kid seemed like the typical music nerd but we are supposed to believe he goes from working on his songs one minute to blasting 6 kids at his school the next. It makes for a shocking revelation half way through the film but it didn't really ring true to me.

[–] Rinnetensei 9 years ago

I agree. He seemed to have a temper (shown when the floormate busted into his room), but we never really found out what his issue was. The songs revealed him more to be depressed and suicidal than a murderer. This irritated me, but I still liked the film very much.

[–] Screen_Queen 9 years ago

I agree with you as well. I suppose they left a lot out on purpose to throw us with the twist, but I too thought there was a big gap between what was portrayed and what we were told.

We're running around like we don't care
It's gonna leave its mark somewhere.

[–] Ryan-lindsey1 9 years ago

Idk, i can see where your coming from, but the movie isnt about Josh. Its about Sam. So even though Josh was the catalyst, it was more about Sam discovering things on his own, and coming to terms with the fact that there really wasnt anything he could have done differently to change what happened. Not everyone that does something like Josh did, shows any real signs of just how broken they are. Which I think is why they didnt go deeper into Josh's story, to show that what the reason Sam was so messed up, because he just had no idea, and couldnt accept that he would never get the answers he was looking for. Thats just my opinion anyway.

[–] AdvanceIstheMan 9 years ago

You're basing all of that off one scene though. We know nothing about any mental illness, bullying, depression or anything else he might have gone through. Seeing a fictional character playing music in his dorm room and talking to his father on the phone isn't enough to say he's too normal to do something like that.

[–] jondoe888 9 years ago

What do we ever really know about these killers, and their 'why'? Beyond what the press digs up and feeds us. On the previous day, did any of the victims ever expect this kind of insanity from their killers? And maybe the scariest type is the last guy you would expect it from?
I wish we'd never see these name. Or their creepy photos. They want to be remembered, and this is their way of keeping the fear alive. Personally, I'd give them some ID number, and use only that. I know it's not practical, and the media would have a fit! They like to keep the fear alive, too, as click-bait. (and even more unrealistic - I'd prefer that if there are a bunch of reliable witnesses, the killers just be taken out back and shot. The trial is another way of keeping the fear and fame alive. Some people just give up their right to live. And I'm saying this as NOT a fan of capital punishment)

[–] blacknyellowsquid 7 years ago

I agree that media focus should be taken OFF the shooters and that they shouldn't blitz the names/photos of the shooters. If they must, have that be accessible in a database in a library because people have a right to information. But don't broadcast it 100x time like they do. This movie being another example even of the focus on the shooter. I was disappointed that it wasn't a show just about parents grieving losing a child in such a crime as this...let's have something centered on the victims/victims' families for once, you know? We already have several movies about the shooters/their families.

In answer to your question, people might not know exactly that the person is about to do it the day before, but they can probably see signs something is up or going downhill, more downhill than even before. Like the VTech shooter for example, well there were hundreds of red flags for him that I could get into, but just in regard to the month leading up...he got several guns, got ticketed for speeding, stopped attending most or all of his classes, would ride around on a bike in circles for hours... ...so indeed, leading up to the act there was changed behavior from his already scary/unnerving/disturbing previous behavior (which includes getting reported for semi-stalkery/intimidating behavior, getting court ordered to go to therapy for being suicidal, barely ever speaking at all, getting kicked out of a class for taking pictures up people's skirts, writing short stories in his creative writing classes with a lot of violence and mentions of sexual abuse in them, etc). It wasn't like the movie where he was just tra la la hangin' out, writtin' some mostly lighthearted song lyrics (uh, lighthearted if you compare it to the actual "manifestos" that these people write), no apparent planning whatsoever, answers the phone and talks to his dad like normal, which even gets a smile out of him...and then waltzes into the classroom anndd ...shoots people?...no lol. Even the guy in the Batman movie theater was in therapy and I believe had mailed a package detailing his entire plan to his therapist before doing it... but it got put in the wrong mailbox so she didn't get it in time.

[–] blacknyellowsquid 7 years ago

^ OP you are 100% correct.