Last week, my fiancee and I watched a movie called Bloodline. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis is as follows: “Haunted by dark memories of childhood abuse, Evan, a social worker, and first-time dad, struggles to keep his need for revenge in check.” While it is hard to give much detail about the movie without spoiling it, the grand concept is that Evan punishes those who have harmed others.
Some people would have the opinion that if someone has brought harm to another person, it is only fair that they are also harmed. Others would support the old adage, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Evan is a social worker who works with at-risk youth. And the people he inflicts harm on typically hurt the students he works with. When children are the ones being harmed, it strikes a different chord amongst people. Some may be quicker to justify the need to punish those who have made others victims.
This is not the first time this concept is seen in a movie.
Two examples that come to mind are Promising Young Woman and Eye for an Eye. Both movies narrate from the standpoint of these women being the heroes they needed when they felt justice had not been served.
Everyone handles trauma differently, and there is no right or wrong way to process it. I do believe, however, that it is important to regain control in the aftermath. And it’s crucial to take your life back into your own reigns. Still, the concepts that are laid out in these movies are heavy ones indeed. It is one where you can see both sides of it and how one would lean to either side.
There is a part in Bloodline where the main character’s wife does something to inflict harm on someone else as well. This can lead to the speculation of if these harmful actions are passed on to our closest family and friends, then they can be accepted as okay. This could go for learned behavior and/or genetic traits that are passed on. I feel that it’s a very fine and fragile line to walk.
Have you seen any of the movies mentioned above? How do you feel about their concepts? Let us know below!
Featured image via screenshot Bloodline Trailer on YouTube
