Aaron's Thoughts
I knew this was a controversial movie, but wasn’t at all aware just how strongly some people felt about it until reading a few reviews after watching the film.
While I can understand how this riles people up, I couldn’t disagree more with most of the criticisms. All the complaints about Dixon’s arc are just silly to me & a complete misread of the movie. Maybe I’ll feel differently on a rewatch, but to me the film is not about redemption as much as it is about misplaced anger. It’s about how when we don’t have answers (which is quite often), we rage against the forces or people that are the closest in proximity to us. And in most instances those aren’t the people actually responsible, which then causes more damage, pain, and grief.
Sure, there is an arc in there for Dixon and Mildred both, but it’s certainly not redemption. They both start out in opposite places at the beginning of the film, but by the time we get to the end they are both headed in the direction that the other one started in. Will they go all the way and end up where the other started? Maybe, but maybe not. The film isn’t ultimately interested in that. And it’s that ambiguity along with the moral ambiguity of everyone in the film that makes it so delightful to sink your teeth into (and apparently so hard for people who like simple answers to wrap their heads around).
