I really enjoyed the movie and loved the surprise of the son showing up to the woman’s home at the end.
What I didn’t like was the father trying to choke his son out. I think it would’ve made for a more interesting ending had the son made his Dad turn himself in. The struggle with his emotions was real and I think that would’ve been really difficult for him to do. Imagine what his mom would say about the situation.
The awful truth about Mr. Burnside would've destroyed the family from within and without. He did what he did to protect his mother, little sister and the unity of the family.
shareAgreed. Tyler was thinking of his mom and his sister. He knew a public case would label his whole family as monsters so he chose to protect them.
shareIt goes even beyond that: I've seen real-life cases where the murderer once caught or killed splits up the family because some members can't handle the awful truth and stubbornly side with the criminal. For instance, there was this case in Nebraska where a pastor murdered his wife via poisoning her with some drug and her body was found in the bathtub. Forensic investigators, however, were able to prove that it wasn't an accident and linked the crime to the husband. One sister believed her father's claims of innocence while the other accepted the truth. It split them ever since.
I could see something like this happening in the movie if Tyler turned his father in to authorities: The mother & sister believing Mr. Burnside's innocence and blaming the son. It would've destroyed the family. Thus the route Tyler chose to go was wise from both a public and familial standpoint.
Not to mention, the family would be demonized and run out of town either by open hostility or stigma. Their lives would have been ruined.
shareThis post and the division of families makes me think of that "Staircase" mini-series on Netflix. About the author (Michael Peterson) who pushed a couple of his wives down the stairs (at different times, even in different countries), ultimately killing both of them.
His step-children were/are vehement in their protests that their step-father didn't kill their mother. Boggled my mind. It still does, now that I'm thinking of it.
I hate when people say they are "CERTAIN" about a fact based off of faith alone. Nobody seems to remember what words like "certain" and "positive" actually mean.
I have a feeling that the family in Clovehitch would definitely have a rift thrown between them. The son might even end up ostracized for "destroying the family" by bringing the facts to light, even though it was actually the fathers actions.
Well said.
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