Prisoners

Be prepared, that was the best advice Keller Dover received from his father. A hurricane, a flood can happen, or any misfortune that makes people lose control. However, no precaution is good enough  when the worst nightmare a parent can face, the kidnapping of your own daughter, actually happens. In this unfortunate situation the question posed by the viewer is obvious: how far would a father be willing to go to save her? Keller has it very clear. Without too much trust in the police, rabid and driven by the basic need to save his little girl, his determination will make him cross the line.

This is the seemingly simple main premise proposed in the film "Prisoners": two family are disrupted by the kidnapping of their little girls. An investigation starts immediately: both by detective Loki and by the father of one of the girls. The title "Prisoners" makes more and more sense as the story progresses, as it is not the same thing to be physically abducted than to be a prisoner of your own fears. Inquiring this feelings is what makes this thriller so intense.

The desperation, the forced separation from the loved ones and the tragedy are presented in the harrowing portrait of the days after the kidnapping. The director well manages to keep up the burden and the for over two hours, also thanks to a complex, well build script, with multiple lines of interest.

Violence springs from within the characters, but always because of a situation triggered by their environment. The characters thus become a collateral damage of a greater evil: life and society turn them into prisoners of themselves.

The protagonist, Keller, is trapped under extreme circumstances also because of his strong personality. The mentally ill suspect, played by young Paul Dano, is also a prisoner of his mental status, straggling for an impossible communication with Keller. Same prisoner status for Loki, the police officer investigating the kidnapping, obsessed with resolving his cases.

With all these "prisoners", the film takes on the air of a Greek tragedy where fate will play a more important role than anything. At the end, what does Keller deserve? Because of his determination to act parallel to the police investigation, should he be redeemed? In fact the director prefers to leave the answer to such a dilemma to the viewer, making it clear that in some films sometimes it is more helpful to ask questions than trying to answer them.

And that's why the end of the movie is the way it is: it's for us to decide whether Loki heard that whistle or not.

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Writer: Aaron Guzikowski

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis