Film Ideology in Mystic River

Mystic River a powerful exploration into the psyche of a young boy who is kidnapped and molested and the effect that it has on his closest friends as they grow up and eventually apart. The three friends are eventually reunited over the murder of one of their daughters.

My reasoning to explore the ideology of this film is that it takes the time to explore not only a tough to swallow subject, but also pulls it out of its norm (watching the child kidnapped, molested, the search for him, etc..) and shows it from a new angle. I think that on a much deeper level this film also takes on the problems of repressed emotions. The three boys choose to almost forget about that harrowing day that their friend was taken from them and returned as a complete stranger. When they reunite, they are all a bit off. None of them ever speak of that day, rather they just act accordingly as if it never occurred. But when Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) scopes out Dave Boyle (the boy who was mollested) as the number one suspect on his daughters murder the occurrence rushes back . Because Dave had been out the night before and beat a child predator near death , Jimmy believes it was him. It is a terribly twisted and emotinally wrenching climax where Jimmy stabs Dave for the murder of his daughter. Although this ending may seem morbid and unjust i feel like it is fitting for such a tough subject that most of society will never even touch on.