For me now that I've seen Orlando Bloom in such a dark movie. It was tough to watch but a good movie. Anyone who knows about the dysfunction and and rage stemming from abuse can see this is about as real as it gets. I struggled watching it especially the part with his Mom because my Mom is narcissistic. I felt so bad for Malcolm - having gone through sexual abuse at 12 then having a mother that was narcissistic, he didn't get comfort from the one person who may have been able to help him. I felt bad for poor Em who desperately wanted to love Malcolm but was rejected at every turn -- and didn't know why which made it even more painful. Every time she asked Malcolm "is it me, have I done something wrong" was gut wrenching. Malcolm's self harm (raping himself and stabbing his hand ugh) and rage were unfortunately part of the cycle of abuse but I think the fact that it was bottled up made it all so much more explosive. Then there were those awful visits with his mother that made me feel tense -- she was so condescending and critical particularly about his prison stint-- "neighbors talking behind my back, you left me here for two years, I was so ashamed." Let's not leave out her frequent comments "you don't look right, your face is tight, your'e not right. "
But the kicker for me was the end when Malcolm fond his mother dead in the chair. We see that he did try to tell her about his abuse and in classic fashion she said "I'm not responsible for your shame or pain, it didn't happen." Which took me back to when they had a discussion about the priest that abused him earlier in the movie and the mother kept insisting that he was a good man with a family-- that was a real kick in the teeth after seeing the ending -- because she said that to him knowing the priest had harmed him. I guess there was some relief to this with the guy who told him about his abuse which was awful too and how he turned his life over to Christ to unload his burden. I didn't think he would have any affect on Malcolm but luckily he did get through. .and well the priest got those hot coals alright. .one big weenie roast of guilt.
Review of Retaliation
