Prisoners: Symbolism Done Right
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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FULL SPOILERS FOR PRISONERS IN VIDEO!!
In this video essay we dive into the archetypal symbolism of the maze in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners (2013). Throughout my analysis I also go into the historical context of mazes and labyrinths and how proper usage of a symbol can greatly enhance the quality of a story.
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FILMS USED:
Prisoners (2013)
The Maze Runner (2014)
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The Shining (1980)
Incendies (2010)
Sicario (2014)
Enemy (2013)
Arrival (2016)
MUSIC USED:
Prisoners soundtrack by Johan Johannsson
LITERATURE USED:
culturedecante...
splashfromabov...
vigilantcitize...
Some overlay effects by: www.coolstockfootage.com
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
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Gayest most pretentious video ive ever seen
You know a movie is good when as soon as it finishes you watch 10 UA-cam vids about it even tho it’s 3 in the morning
Real Shit
@@burymeinjhenny918 try 5 in the morning 😂
Same, except it’s 4:45am for me 😂
How did you know 😂
Dude it’s legit 3:05 AM here tf???????
This movie was a 2.5 hour anxiety roller coaster and i loved it
My brother me and my mom watched this movie together and it was the first disturbing movie that I watched I remember having a panic attack while watching it I finished the movie I think but I still remember the experience of watching it
Jane hater the ending tho. Tbh
It was so heartbreaking and the violence ramped everything I was seeing up to a "10" rating. Paul Dano was so good, playing nothing but a pathetic and virtually mute "victim" under the spell of his sickening, psychotic Mother played so well by Melissa Leo! This is a long, disturbing film to watch, but it's so well made, I would recommend it to my worst enemies, as well as to my best Friends!
Yeah, I was almost sick through the last half of the film
mezalong was there any need to call them an idiot?
That scene with Jake driving to the hospital, so intense!
Like Stories of Old I remember seeing it in theatres back in 2013. No expectations whatsoever, but man has the movie as a whole and that sequence in particular stuck with me since. Villeneuve has to be one of, if not my favorite director atm
Like Stories of Old Yeah I remember my heart racing during that scene in the theater. What I also love about that scene is the continuity consistency. The perspective cuts multiple times from in to out of the car, but even so every time it cuts the placement and movement of all the cars stay consistent.
A less talented director, or one who doesn't have as much of an eye for detail, would have more than likely botched this. I'm a stickler for continuity mistakes, so I very much so appreciated the effort that was put into this scene.
Then Loki falling on his ass as he gets out of the car, a genuine mistake made by Jake, is the cherry on top.
Heisenberg Having to rewatch the film a couple of times for this video, I kept noticing him falling out of the car too, makes the scene that much more real and intense...
Interestingly enough, both True Grit and Prisoners have the same director of photography, Roger Deakins, who is widely regarded as the best DP alive right now.
Yeah Jake himself said it was one of the hardest scenes he had ever done
Jake gyllenhaal is so fuckin amazing in this movie, just the little mannerisms he gave to this character are so good.
Did you watch Nightcrawler? Amazing performance.
@@brokenwave6125 Indeed I have. Jake's my favorite actor at the moment, I've enjoyed nearly all of his movies, yes even bubble boy lol.
He deserved an Oscar nomination for nightcrawler
I cant believe i just watched it 7 years later.
I freakin love it. Jake is bloody awesome. Great movie, great cast. Underrated bigtime.
beram taib he was also really good in zodiac and jarhead
They should have given an award for Jake's hair.
Mate... I’d kill to have a hairline like that haha
Badass hair style
big facts, started doing my hair like that since this movie lol
Dave Jorgen fuck mate, jealous of your hair line then. You must be picking up all the birds
pat waddington 💀😹
Casting director: "we need an actor to beat up onscreen...is Paul Dano available?"
Legend has it, Daniel Day-Lewis has a standing appointment to kick his ass on Mondays and Tuesdays.
That's some legit typecasting. Poor guy will have taking a beating from several academy award winning actors as a trivia on his IMDB page.
Dano is stellar in this movie. shut the fuck up.
"I drink your milkshake" lol
@@SergiuSalcau00 no one said he wasn't lol, chill dude
Anybody else notice how when Keller is saying the Lord's prayer in front of Alex he can't finish it, specifically he struggles to say the line "-we may forgive those who trespass against us" his faith is tested and at that moment he fails. It's such a perfect, subtle moment.
i'm glad someone else picked up on this!
very opposite of subtle
*as we forgive those.
It’s the pater noster, probably the single oldest prayer in Christianity, as it’s actually found in the New Testament as the way Jesus teaches the Apostles to pray, found in Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4.
It may seem like I’m being semantic, but it totally changes the meaning, and it’s why he can’t say that line. Because it’s a command to forgive those who trespass against you, there is no “may.”
That’s why in Catholicism you’ll always be told to say the Pater Noster after confession, to remind you that as your sins have been forgiven so too you MUST forgive those who seek it from you.
jake sold me on that little twitch he does. he is so underrated
?
@@pffilms2522 his character blinked a little too hard during the film occasionaly
PFilmsStuff Jake created a twitch” for his character. Occasionally he would blink very hard, seemingly because of being tired and stressed
To me it felt like he was taking crime scene photos... collecting everything into his memory every time his eyes twitched
That kinda looked like tourettes tho idk why that would be an important character trait
I'm sure that Loki saves Dover. As in the beginning we are told Loki always finishes his cases and find the culprits and in the movie he finally saves Anna. Now in the hospital when Dover wife asks him whether he would be able to find Dover, after minor second pauses and thinking Loki says: Yeah. So finally he must have found him..
Prisoners has a good ending in my headcanon. Dover is found. Serve his sentence and life continues on.
@@deronn.j6088 considering the circumstances, he’ll probably receive a short sentence.
I mean the guy was able to solve the case with only a few subtle clues. Not only that but he saved Anna because he noticed something was just a little bit off in that house, same at the priest’s house. I don’t see any reason why he doesn’t save Dover
@@cHeStEr5434 For torturing a mentally disabled person? I'd hope he has an extremely harsh sentence.
@@enotsnavdier6867 Well slow or not, Alex played a crucial part in the abduction of Anna and Joy. Dover knew this and he had every reason to believe so, but police weren’t taking his claims seriously initially.
But if Alex is functioning enough to legally drive an RV, it’s safe to assume he can comprehend his involvement and answer questions truthfully, rather than lie the way he did to both Dover and authorities.
Had Dover done nothing, Alex would just go back to life as usual with his “aunt” and the girls most likely wouldn’t have been found until too late. That said, Alex getting abducted by Dover prompted Holly Jones to bring the girls out of the pit as she felt lonely without him, which in turn led to Joy’s escape and a chain of events which led to the ultimate resolution.
This whole film is so tense. I genuinely have not been frightened by a film in so long and it’s not even a horror. That’s why it’s so real. This happens. Kidnapping is a real thing. No Xenomorphs, no killer demon clowns, just a fucked up real person who abducts children. When we saw the bag taken off Alex’s head inside the old house and saw his face after days of torture I physically began shaking with fear. When Kellar is beating Alex in front of Joy’s dad, and Joy’s dad breaks down crying in front of the monster that Kellar has become , it really cements how the real monsters don’t hide under our beds or come from space, they walk around the same streets as us, they eat the same foods we do, they are what we are, people. Villeneuve is one of the greatest living directors of all time and his films will be remembered throughout history.
Same dude
well we all find our type of horror. I found it in Gone Girl
@@neerajbaranwal7294 I would say Prisoners is more terrifying, but Gone Girl is more disturbing, if you know what I mean
"I physically began shaking with fear" 😂😂 just made me laugh, my reaction when seeing Alex's face was "oh lol that's pretty fucked, the make-up team deserve some props!"...Not sure why anyone would be physically shaking in fear unless they're just a huge drama baby, congrats
@@yesdude3914 See I'd feel slightly insulted by the unnecessary name calling but I saw you actively play GTA 5 on PS4 in 2022 and therefore know you can't comprehend adult emotions.
what i loved the most about Prisoners is how different people i know either root for keller or loki.
Paradoxar Definitely makes you think about who's right and who's wrong and how you might act yourself in a similar situation... - Thomas
Who are you rooting for?
I’m a sucker for Gyllenhaal, I’m sorry
If you root for someone who chooses to imprison and torture a man with diminished mental faculties, with no evidence except for his own subjective experience, and continues to do so, even after he knows that the person he is torturing is innocent, then I honestly worry about other people’s comprehension of law, empathy, justice, and morality.
Jackman’s character was an asshole. He was more interested in meeting out his own twisted fantasies and servicing his own self importance than properly aiding the police.
He should have died in that hole.
@@happymaskedguy1943 I think that's an oversimplification of the character.
The whistle at the end gives me goosebumps
I really hope he got him out of that hole alive
Banana Juice that’s what I’ve come to hope too
@@lachlanhaberfield561 he did.
Knowing Loki's persistence he definitely followed the whistle sounds and got Keller out. I like to think Keller survived, too.
@@baalgar5530 is there an extended version somewhere?
Paul Dano is just briliant. The way he built up a career based on only how punchable his face is, that's just admirable. Great actor though.
I meant in no way bulling the guy, I just stated the obvious I love him in every movie he is in. Just to clarify.
classic
He's been in over 30 movies. How many did he get punched in?
@@brokenwave6125 the best ones
@@brokenwave6125 all 30
Jonathan Graves
What about Little Miss Sunshine? It’s his best film and he doesn’t get punched once
One of the most devastating Oscar snubs of all time. The best performances that Jake and Hugh had given in their whole careers. An enthralling, dark, unrelenting story, BEAUTIFUL direction and haunting music. This film deserved nominations all around. The release date screwed it
How did the release date screw it
@@sloshtugz4087 wondering the same thing 👀 Somebody explain please
@@blending_in i think it's not his Borghese birthday or something
@@sloshtugz4087 its was probably released after the oscar
U gotta be in the pizza cult to recieve their fancy idols
Is no one else going to appreciate the fact that he used the movie's score throughout the video.
I am, cause i LOVE it, so beautiful.
YES! It's hauntingly beautiful.
Still so sad the composer for it died :/
@@lukebingus9432 thats sad, i didn't know that. RIP
Oh snap
I feel like the reason Keller is so protective of his family is because of the fact he lost his dad young. He’s already experienced so much loss that the very thought of it scares him. Maybe he felt he could have prevented his father’s suicide. He realizes he might be able to prevent losing his only daughter too and goes to extreme lengths to never have to feel that sorrow again.
i agree. in his shoes, always moving forward prevents him from acceptance. to stop is death. unfortunately, i would follow the same mindset.
Oh my gosh, i never thought about it like that
I hope Keller can quit drinking.
My husband died from his battle with alcoholism; trying to quit and having real bad withdrawal symptoms; then drinking himself to death. It is so sad, when alcohol addiction destroys a good person.
Also his obsession with survivalist things is already a sign, he doesn't let anyone take control situation cus he's so sure of himself, which as we see in the movie ironically proved wrong
Favorite director right now.
AstroLizardChannel he's great
Me too especially because hes french canadian and that make me proud
AstroLizardChannel and 2 weeks for blade runner 😱
I love all his movies, but i wrestled mentally with Enemy. I just could make heads or tails of it. Maybe it warrants another viewing.
Oscar Padilla same here I watched it lately with my wife and definitely takes another viewing
The writing is so great in this film. Everything brought up in the plot is used later in the story. From the lost whistle, the woman who Loki questioned that had the missing kid, to the girls singing the Batman jingle bells song. Such a great film that deserved more attention.
I felt so damn bad for Barry. That poor kid went through hell.
He hung the dog with the leash though
He abducted the kids
@@donaldpasserelli3529 because it was the aunt's dog
@@vanillagorilla7725 did u even watch the movie
Barry was just as bad
I’m in love with Paul Dano, he’s absolutely phenomenal in everything that he’s in, and criminally underrated. I hope he gets some mainstream attention from The Batman
After seeing the Batman trailers he looks like he’s going to do an amazing job as riddler, can’t wait for that movie
good news, he's getting some mainstream attention from The Batman
He scares me.
you got ur wish! :D
Came here after seeing The Batman...yup, you were right
I just don't understand how you can dislike this.... Just a man passionate about movies stating his view
shugo104 you disliked it because of his accent? It’s my opinion you are a twat.
@shugo104 what the hell man
shugo104 it’s “liked,” you illiterate prick. Who the hell puts an apostrophe in the word “liked?”
@@austindorf83 ..... was insulting him necessary? Just saying.
Lonel650 Absolutely necessary.
Villanueve is my favorite filmmaker working today. Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival were all fantastic. I can't wait for Blade Runner 2049.
And what did you think of his earlier films?
Don’t forget Incendies.
@It's Okay I cannot disagree with the first sentence more.
I come from the future. Blade runner 2049 was fantastic!
@It's Okay should we take Nolan's favourite films as the gospel when it comes to good film? if so, why should we?
The subtle hints led back to the "Aunt" were genius. Especially after Alex said "they started crying once i left" or something like that, you could tell that he was a puppet for his "Aunt". I was guessing she was the suspect halfway into the movie
especially the "I'm not Alex" line
5 year old video but this is one of my favorite films. I have no idea how people like yourself manage to gather so much information and nuance about a film that I missed still after the 20th viewing. The scene where you see Alex give up in the shower is a brilliant shot and it says so much at how much torture the poor man went through both physically from Keller and mentally from Holly. That feeling of giving up and pushed to ones limit has a macabre beauty to it and Paul Dano and the makeup artists portrayed that perfectly.
i snuck into a random movie at the theater with my dad and it happened to be this one. we were like 15 minutes late but figured it out pretty quickly. it was so engaging and intense i looked it up online after we left
Crazy that's what me and my bro did. Idk the movie we were watching in the beginning. But ik we were just interested. Looking at the movie cover. But we went in. We felt great and amazed when we left the theater.
Yeah, no you didn't. This movie is from 2013.
@@blustgt8814 how do you figure? He didn't state when he did it, just said he did it with his dad.
so you didn't pay for a movie and then you (claim) you figured the whole thing out after watching it for 15 minutes? you want a medal or something?
@@reallydumbforeal1 I guess lol pointless comment with so many likes
Great discussion, I definitely think you nailed the main message here! Also, thank you for the shoutout!
Jack's Movie Reviews I got you dude, thanks for watching:)
Love your channels!
You both are great!!
Jack's Movie Reviews Thanks for commenting! I love finding new video essay channels, your content looks great. After I binge some more Storytellers I’m on to yours 😊
I loooove this movie so much, it has such a great atmosphere , extremely good actors and such an interesting main character and story.
Loved your video too btw :D
Roland Deschain Agreed. Just finished watching it for the first time. What an experience. Can’t believe I had never heard that much about it. I decided to watch it because I was hearing about how good the reviews are for Blade Runner 2049, and decided I wanted to watch a Villenueve film I hadn’t seen before. I’ve seen Arrival and Sicario before, and thought they were both great. This one is easily my favourite I’ve seen of his so far. Gotta watch Enemies next.
And yeah, I agree with all the comments I’m seeing regarding how this film was overlooked at the Oscars. Coulda won Best Picture, easily, but the real crime is that neither Jackman or Gyllenhaal even got nominated. They both should have won, but Jackman at the very least should have gotten something. I’ve never been as moved by an acting performance as I was by Jackman’s in this film. I don’t even have kids and he made me feel like I’d lost my daughter. Amazing stuff.
Arguably I'd say there are 2 main characters, Hugh Jackman's and Jake Gyllenhaal's. They both give powerhouse performances and drive the plot forward equally
Showed this at film club tonight. In my view, it’s a modern classic. Dark and unpleasant, yet poignant and powerful in its depiction of humanity and morality. Deakins cinematography is also hauntingly good, particularly during the scenes in homes. His use of natural lighting is just spot on too.
You mentioned how at the end when he's in the hole that he's in his own 'hell' and at the end the ground is frozen so they can't dig anymore... "when hell freezes over"
I think he’s in his own “purgatory”. He was probably praying for forgiveness, he was stripped from all hope, it was just him and God and his demons. The Catholic Church holds that "all who die in God's grace and friendship but still imperfectly purified" undergo the process of purification which the Church calls purgatory. I think when he blew the whistle even after two days of being in the ground, slowly bleeding out, he was asking for redemption, he couldn’t have died without it and his faith in God kept him blowing that Whistle . There is of course many ways to look at it, but hell is very final. Purgatory is more “just a state”.
Probably the best movie analysis video on UA-cam. I have watched it more than 10 times and each time I'm amazed at how detailed you've analysed the symbols in the movie. Not only I've learned things about the movie but also learned real life lessons from it. Well done sir.
That's a great insight into one of the best movies of this decade so far, imo. Denis Villenueve is really something else and he takes the most out of his films. I always saw Loki and Keller as similar characters, but this video showed me how close they are, and of course, how different they are. Thank you for this, and keep it up.
Estevão Barbosa Thanks Estevao, Villeneuve has to be my personal favorite director of the past five years. I hope he can keep it up. - Thomas
This movie was tragically underrated, it stuck with me in a way movies rarely do. It's also beautifully filmed and written. Another example of Jake Gyllenhaal's insanely underrated acting talent.
Probably one of the most enjoyable to watch and detailed video essays I have ever seen. Honestly, the on-screen editing, splicing of clips, and - most importantly - the depth of your essay worked together perfectly to create an entertaining video of sheer brilliance. Rarely do I rave like this, but well done. Very, very, well done.
Channels like these are the light at the end of the tunnel of garbage videos that flood the trending page these days. Intelligent and thoughtful content written in a gripping way. Keep on rocking ❤️
abisz007007 Thanks man! Trying to do our part in relieving the stigma UA-cam has as a trash video platform. A surprisingly large amount of people I know don't really use the platform that much because they believe it to be just vlogs, video game lets plays and buzzfeed...
Jesus great editing. You've really captured the feeling of the movie, especially in the last minute of the video. Good work
Thanks Cameron - Thomas
This movie and "a place beyond the pines" are two films that I think are wildly underrated, and I recommend them to anyone who will listen.
I am stunned, really. All I can say that this is a f*cking perfekt example for a video essay and more one of a materpiece movie. You really got me
The best mystery/drama film of the last 5 years
BIGxBOSSxx1 agreed
It still is. Nothing will top it for a very long time.
Agreed💀🔥
nocturnal animals comes close
EDIT: (Spiritual) Sequel to this video essay now on this channel, SICARIO: THE IMPORTANCE OF BORDERS!
After an almost 2 month hiatus I'm finally back with our newest video on archetypes, mazes and Prisoners... If you want more Prisoners, I'd invite you to check out Jack's Movie Reviews and Darren Must See films analyses on the film as well! They served as a starting point for this video but also add a lot of insights that I didn't want to repeat here! Thanks for watching! - Thomas
amazing work, you have all my support!
Brilliant essay - very insightful!
I was wondering whether you'd heard of Jordan Peterson? He takes a similar method of analysing archetypes to explain the deeper meanings behind biblical stories, films and children's books.
Ignacio Rodríguez We appreciate it Ignacio!:)
Jack Steel As a matter of fact yes I have. His style of analysis has been a big influence on me lately;)
My analysis on Beauty and the Beast is another example of a video that's heavily influenced by Peterson. Thanks for noticing! - Thomas
This is the first video of yours I've seen, it's unexpectedly good, and on first impression, competitive compared to Nerdwriter and others. But I'd like to know more about your background(s), because it tells me something about the quality of your analysis.
Are you academically educated on mythology, media and/or cinema? Or trained in different stuff while doing this for lulz?
There's not an abundance of sources for this essay - how come? I'm asking this because there's a ton of references in this video from outside of cinema, and I'd like know whether to regard your video as browsing, or as an educational tool.
@1:22 "...the story of Theseus who needs to find and kill a monstrous beast at the center of a labyrinth - using a thread of hair from his lover Ariadne to make sure he doesn't get lost along the way." Ariadne was also the name of Ellen Page's character that DiCaprio hires in order to design the layout of the dreams they'd be subjecting Cillian Murphy's character to in Christopher Nolan's "Inception".
I’ve always liked this movie. But after I saw this breakdown my appreciation level goes way up. Amazing direction
Amazing work. Been here since the Fargo vid, super cool to see how large you've grown! Hopefully both our channels hit 1 million one day
24 Frames Of Nick Thanks Nick! Fargo was a while ago, we've come a long way since then. Good to see you've stuck with us. Also, is that a sneaky plug I see...?;) - Thomas
Storytellers heyyyyy u caught me. Can't help tho when ur a small channel of course
Lol, no worries, we've been there
Storytellers glad you understand. Seriously love your work though. Glad to see your growth
Keep plugging away, man. The only way I came across your channel. Keep up the good work.
I thought this movie was insanely underrated. This director is amazing. Every detail in this movie is a part of a deeper meaning and I love the way you summed it up. Thank you for this video!
My favorite director ever since I saw Prisioners, every single one of his movies are masterpieces, thank you for this
Just watched this movie and it really shook me. I had a feeling there was a lot of powerful symbolism throughout and your video helped bring the nuances to light. Thank you for making this well done video!
I was too young when I watched this dude. One of those movies that you think about late at night for a couple months
Nobody really talks about the relationship between Detective Loki and Keller. They had no faith in each other from the start and that’s why it was hard for both them mentally to figure out what had happened. You see subtle clues that each character finds on their own and never get to see them work together and discuss their clues in order to find out faster. Such as when Loki finds the locked boxes of snakes and afterwards Keller finds out from Mrs Jones that Alex was bite by a snake when he was younger and never talked much after that. You see Detective Loki find out that someone else had taken the girls from their own houses when he found the sock in the mud outside the window of the Jones. The girls were said to have made it back home and the Father had seen that since her toothbrush was back in their bathroom. You see the son having no faith in his parents and barely showing emotion or hope for finding his sister. It goes on for each character in the film because everybody is prisoner in somewhat shape or form.
Great analysis. I watched the movie about 7 times over the years and never connected the part about the snakes
One of the best films I've ever seen. Can't wait to see DV's Dune.
I'm so glad I get to see genius people like you review concepts in movies because I've always wanted to make movies and seeing these videos motivate me so much
Are u a director yet
To some extend this analysis is even better than the movie itself. I absolutely love to re-watch it over and over and over again since i ever saw it uploaded....thank you for making it
The depth of symbolism, intensity of performance and perfect ending here are what I crave every time I start a horror film. Not an easy watch but always rewarding. Great essay too.
This was amazing. I always wondered about the tree thing and why Deakins chose that close up shot with the yelling in the background. A very subtle moment, but always stuck with me. Love it.
Jake Gyllenhal is such a great actor, one of my favorite little details from his role in this was the blinking tick he acted out through the entire thing. Very believable just so good at what he does.
No idea how this showed up in recommended, but I'm glad it did. Very interesting and well done dude!
Thanks! Out of curiosity, did it show up in your main page recommended or as a recommended video to another video?
Storytellers Main page actually, seemed random.
I can't express how appreciative I am for how articulate this video is; you hit the nail on the head time and time again with your adeptly researched cross references. A true treat to listen to. Very, very well done sir. Bravo!!!!!!
Brilliant analysis 👏. Just watched Prisoners with my lady, and I gotta say it’s easily the best crime thriller I’ve ever seen, not to mention Denis Villeneuve is my favorite director. Such an emotionally dense and thought provoking film.
Good work guys. Keep it up this was really quality analysis of prisoners
Zentagon Thanks man!
had a really hard time realising you were talking about Denis Villeneuve
the s in Denis is silent in french
he's such a cool dude and I'm proud of having grown along with his career. can't wait for dune. (I like the old movie and the jodorowsky documentary. always down for more dune)
I had the same, thought it was going to be about an adequate female director Denise ... very confusing.
Detective Loki is really one of the most fascinating characters I have ever encountered. I know its probably impossible, but I would love for a movie that went more in depth with him. I am now still thinking about all that went into this character, to which I'm sure Gylenhaal himself did a huge part.
So from what I saw and paid attention to is that I feel detective Loki was molested as a child by a priest for years. Because there's a scene where he says "I've spent 7 years at.." at a school for orphans I think? and that's he delt with ppl like the priest. because the priest is a registered child predator. So that's my theory about his character.
@@acidicjerk218he stayed at a boys home. Boys homes are for juveniles so he might have done something when he was young, ended up at the boys home, and was religiously abused or, like you said, molested
Yes, I'd still like to see another movie with Jake as Detective Loki. He is such a mysterious and complex character.
@@The-witty-kittyexactly. Jake talked about Loki's past in a couple of interviews.
Phenomenal analysis. I like that directors and writers who make great movies like this get the thorough and detailed examination it deserves. I'm sure there are a lot of other great movies out there who haven't been viewed as many times that don't get this level of an analysis.
Brilliant! This is helping my write an essay on Pan's Labyrinth. The symbolism of life and death really comes into play in the film, and i've only just realized it. Thank you!
I never heard that Ariadne gave her hair to Theseus. I heard it was a ball of red yarn Theseus took with him. I took the red whistle to be symbolic of the red thread that Theseus brought into the labyrinth to find his way out. When Dover finds his daughter’s red whistle, it centers him back to his path of faith and it literally ends up delivering him out of the maze since Loki hears it and rescues him.
You're content is good. Idk if very many people tell you that but it is. and i hope you can go somewhere great with this talent.
gabe moeller Thanks Gabe, we appreciate that. We'll see where the channel can take us! Thanks for watching - Thomas
This is so beautifully put together and analyzed
4 years after you released this video. I am currently dissecting every great thriller films out there in preparation of writing a screenplay for my 2nd feature film. Thanks for the in depth analytical look into this film as it helped me a lot with my writing.
So much more, powerfully important, subtext to this film than I realised, thank you for explaining these elements, this is beautifully put together.
Sicarios is one of my favorite movies. It’s striking how similar the thematic elements are. One of the most amazing scenes was Emily blunt’s descent into “hell” as she went underground into the drug trafficking tunnels with the CIA agents (killer shots in night vision). Also, the idea that hell is closely linked to chaos and disorder, reflected through the rampant violence and corruption in Juarez and South Texas. It reminds me of the book The Savage Detectives which depicts Juarez as a version of hell.
Woah, that was one of the best video essays I've ever seen. I just watched the movie and you helped me realize so many things! Beautifully done!
Really like what you did here, most of these "video essays" I find on UA-cam suffer from being a bloated mess and attempting to sound more intellectual than the producer is clearly comfortable with. Because when people use vocabulary they aren't comfortable with it is obvious and takes away from the point they are trying to make. If you read a simple book called 'on writing well' it discusses all this and more insofar as the pitfalls and solutions to writing and conveying ideas.
Incredible film - masterful script, direction and editing absolutely on point, phenomenal acting and casting, and the cinematography and score are world class
one and a half videos in and you are at the top of my subscription list. you recognize great films and analyze them in a way that i strive to. nice work.
I just finished the movie, and your essay was a amazing addition!
Very impressive editing
Thank you Mitchell! I took more time polishing the editing with this one.
@@storytellers1 I can tell
I had no idea how much symbolism there was in this film. I’m sure it’s obvious to a lot of people but I wonder if it subconsciously made me love this movie even more
I've followed your channel for years and had this movie on my radar since this video release. It was just until this week that I had the chance to watch it and absolutely had to come back to hear your analysis
Christ, this is THE ONLY Prisoners analysis that isn't just another f*cking lazy plot summary. Thank you a LOT sir, you got my respect.
And a like.
The maze/labyrinth is the perfect metaphor for life. We fear the minotaur like we fear death, but really, that's the only way out of the maze.
I would have to say that this is probably at the top of the list of underrated movies of all time...
The most underrated film of the 2010s. One of my absolute favorite movies I've ever seen.
just watched this movie and was amazed (gigiddy) at the twist and turns of the plot. this analysis of the film was very detailed and shed a lot of background information on the film, well done
It's video essays like this one that make me not only appreciate the movies more that these essays are based on, but also the incredible ways to view art pieces, stories or movies. It blows my mind how much intent can actually put into them - and how much a casual viewer like me can miss on a conscious level.
Anyways, what I'm trying to say is: thank you for this immensely insightful video! You sure got a new subscriber in me. (Oh and thank you for the video on "Mindhunter". That one sure gets on top of my watch list.)
This movie looks too dark for me but man I love a good video essay. This is the second video essay I'm watching about this movie. Great analysis of the symbolism and themes.
I wanted so bad for Keller and Loki to get together and compare notes because each had a piece of the puzzle.
This is such a great movie. I didnt even know about it until earlier this year when I watched it for the first time and it did not disappoint. Great acting all around.
Can't watch this video essay enough. You really nailed every part of this movie, its by far one of my favorites. Amazing video.
That scene where Detective Loki was speeding through the rain, toward the hospital, was incredible. It makes me cry every time.
This movie is anxiety at its finest, while watching it I said inside my mind (how life is so damn bad, how the world is full of jealousy and how a one problem in your life can destroy your whole life), when Bob Taylor shots himself I was like ‘ohh shit the psycho killer died and we cannot get the bodies’ but after knowing that he is living a life full of unclear mind and he try to scape from everything even from his own life (suicide) I cried a lot ...
This video, it’s commentary, language, themes, phraseology, quotes, references everything was inspiration for my final year English exam in which I was expecting 60-70%.
I scored 81%.
I didn’t particularly follow the course curriculum, but rather became self aware to subtle metaphors and symbolism.
Thanks
Btw I might have overused the word proclivity.
nah gonna lie this is one of my favorite movies
Just the background music gives me chills. This was truely an amazing film.
This synopsis was so good, the last sentence and images really hit it home perfectly
Holy shit that was good. I wrote about this not too long ago, focusing on the ideologies presented in the film, but I dont think mine compares. Damn good video man, keep it up.
3:09
Paul Dano really nailed this role. He's very underrated as an actor.
This has to be one of the best analysis on a film I have ever seen. This is one of the most underrated films I have seen.
I just watched it for the first time then. Absolutely loved it
This movie at all points had me on my seat not knowing who or what would happen next. i love these kinds of films that have so much to them that you could be oblivious to what the title means let alone the whole other side to the story.
I’ve seen this film so many times it’s unbelievable. Will now and forever be my favorite movie
I need to own this one. Man, it was a fucking RIDE. The fact that Dune was directed by the same director as Prisoners, and Arrival is just awesome.
Incredible video as always!! I think two of my favourite uses of the maze have been in Westworld and in Pan's Labyrinth. I mean I loved all of Westworld, but the maze as a symbol for finding consciousness and the way Dolores' story was a maze of multiple timelines and a complex unravelling of her own self through the symbol of the maze was genius. not to mention the name Dolores means "Mary of Sorrows", hinting at the tragedy of her character as she has to navigate her own maze of self discovery.
And of course I adore Pan's Labyrinth in every way. Not just the obvious links between mazes and fairytales but the way the centre of the maze was literally both the spot of her human death (as well as Captain Vidal's) and the new birth of her life as a princess, as her blood literally dropped right into the centre of the maze - and as you mentioned in the video the centre of the maze has always been symbolic for both life/rebirth and death
Scott Like Thanks for sharing! Great insights! I love Pan's Labyrinth as well. Like Prisoners, a movie that really manages to capture a certain atmosphere that you can feel by just thinking about the film.
Yeah Pan's labyrinth created such a distinct atmosphere, this kind of dream like fairytale mixed with gritty fascist spain was incredible and Guillermo del Toro did an amazing job in creating a inviting world. Feels like I'm in a dream just thinking about that film
Scott Like Exactly how I feel about it as well my man
Scott Like Also, idk if you are aware of it, but Del Toro is working on a live action Pinocchio, but a darker version of the story, which I think is perfect for him -Thomas
Ooooooh I didn't know that!! That sounds amazing actually! Pinocchio has always been a strange film for me, it has a reputation of a story of a wooden boy whose nose grows when he lies, but that's such a small part of the Disney film (like one or two scenes) and not what the film is about at all! The story of Pinocchio has so much potential because it deals with so many themes of growing up and childhood discovery as well as moral issues! Also would be interesting to see how the whale scene is tackled lmao!
Btw, hello Thomas! I'm kinda new to your channel, discovered you with your GoT blackwater bay video last month, and then binged all your content! People don't tell the content creators enough how good a job they're doing, so like honestly thank you for the incredible work you're done with this channel you've made some fantastic content I've really enjoyed and learnt a lot from!
I came here because I was certain there was something about trees in the movies but couldn’t quite get it, not disappointed, thanks for clarifying that symbol !