Blue Ruin (2013)

AKA: –
Year: 2013
Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Macon Blair (Dwight), Amy Hargreaves (Sister), Devin Ratray (Friend Ben), Kevin Kolack (Teddy Cleland)
Country: United States
Language: English (English subtitles)
Runtime: 01:30:24
Genres: Revenge

Plot – Spoilers:
Dwight is a vagabond who stays out of people and life. Through his eyes we initially get a glimpse of first world problems as he drifts on the outside of carnivals and crowds where security and basic comforts are a given, unlike for him, where every day seems a fight for survival. But this isn’t the story of a vagrant. It’s the story of revenge. Someone killed Dwight’s parents and is getting out of jail, well before time. How Dwight reacts to this forms pretty much the rest of this gripping revenge thriller with secrets and feuds going back a generation.

In his quest for revenge, Dwight is no hero. His heroics are usually when he has the element of surprise going for him. For the rest, he is quite timid and fatalistic, wishing he were just dead.

Favourite Scenes:
Every time Dwight interacts with a human, it makes for compelling viewing:
1. With his sister, there is an evident bond that has not yet been shattered by their shared tragedy or time away from each other.
2. The same goes for his old friend who rambles on and on when Dwight is impatient to get a move along. But he’s there when it matters most for Dwight.
3. Dwight and Teddy (the guy from the boot of the car) talk to each other for the most part calmly, in an old-worldly way, where the inevitability of a situation was understood by the two parties concerned without the need for verbosity. No room for drama – there are certain principles and ethics that have been laid in stone and they both get it. There is a certain nostalgic throwback to the old South as depicted in literature and movies here, and it’s quite the charm.