It’s been awhile since I watched this movie, but my recollection is that Peter is most definitely “the villain.” He kills Phil and it’s also implied that he kills his father. I thought he was a sociopath.
The secondary villain to me was homophobia/being closeted. I sympathized with Phil who ends up being murdered by showing kindness (and/or attraction) to Peter. It reminds me a bit of American Beauty in that way.
I didn’t think of George as expressing toxic masculinity. I thought of him as clueless and ineffective. He doesn’t know Rose isn’t very good. He’s in love with her and thinks she’s great. I didn’t get the sense he was trying to remake her, so much as he expected everyone to see her how he sees her.
I can't stand watching movies that depict this kind of cruelty, but as a longtime contrarian text-analyzer, I appreciate your deep dive into these characters' motivations and subtleties - much better than a traditional movie review!
It’s been awhile since I watched this movie, but my recollection is that Peter is most definitely “the villain.” He kills Phil and it’s also implied that he kills his father. I thought he was a sociopath.
The secondary villain to me was homophobia/being closeted. I sympathized with Phil who ends up being murdered by showing kindness (and/or attraction) to Peter. It reminds me a bit of American Beauty in that way.
I didn’t think of George as expressing toxic masculinity. I thought of him as clueless and ineffective. He doesn’t know Rose isn’t very good. He’s in love with her and thinks she’s great. I didn’t get the sense he was trying to remake her, so much as he expected everyone to see her how he sees her.
Probably a good time for a rewatch.
I can't stand watching movies that depict this kind of cruelty, but as a longtime contrarian text-analyzer, I appreciate your deep dive into these characters' motivations and subtleties - much better than a traditional movie review!