This is one of the most interesting breakdowns of toxic masculinity I've seen in a long time. Part of the reason it packs such a punch is how cleverly it tricks you into warming up to Wade. What initially starts off as a silent battle between a married couple to have their son grow up under their influence soon fizzles out once the film fixates more and more on Wade while Hannah is pushed further and further to the sidelines. Seeing how Wade's influence causes Theron's reputation to grow amongst a group of hunters who initially didn't think much of him and how his life is improved from spending time around Rafe leads one to have faith that everything will turn out well and that Theron made the right choice after all. Wade's reputation amongst the town and the first scene though are hard to ignore and, the more hints which pop up (Albert's strong distrust of Theron), the clearer it becomes that the bubble we built up around Wade is about to burst.
Once the inevitable mid film reveal comes along, the film turns from really good to excellent due to a couple reasons. First, it fully realizes its critique of masculinity. Being a skilled hunter and the wealthiest person in town, Wade appears to have it all at first glance, but learning about Rafe's familial ties and Wade's cruel rejection of him due to his inability to commit to the consequences of his mistakes makes him seem like a pathetic person deep down who has all kinds of insecurities. Wade's points of "pride" are limited to him being a womanizer and the best hunter in the town. The group of hunters he spends so much time around don't have much to show for themselves either and largely exist somewhat in his shadow.
More significantly though, the second half reveal allows the film to branch out and explore the scope of the people Wade impacted. Because instead of just touching on the jealous husbands out to get revenge, it expands its scope to Wade's immediate family (and even his hunting dogs to an extent, given the boar hunt). The impact Wade has on Theron involves his hesitancy to commit to his relationship with Libby and progress up the social ladder since he'd have to leave Rafe in the dust in the process, who's far less fortunate than him. Their scenes in the final act contain a ton of humanity and the final couple conversations between them are especially powerful since it's clear throughout them that Theron wants Rafe to enjoy the life he initially had little chance of getting. At first, Hannah didn't stick out to me that much, but upon reflection, I was struck by how rough her situation is. Due to her strained relationship with Wade, saving Theron from his influence is all she can hope for, yet she lacks the strength to breach the barrier her husband has built up. Her best effort to fix everything only serves to cause more problems for both Theron and herself. There's also a lot to be said about the sheer contrast between Wade and Rafe. In spite of his lack of wealth and consideration for his well being, Rafe has a degree of nobility and genuine compassion that's sorely lacking in Wade. Financially speaking, Rafe lacks everything Wade has, yet is still twice the man he is on almost all levels.
Once the constant framing and reframing of the characters is all said and done, we get a nuanced ending which is hopeful only to some of the characters we rooted for. It's tragic in a sense, yet it gives another character a much better outcome than one might've expected. It's somehow the happiest ending one could expect from this setting.
Once the inevitable mid film reveal comes along, the film turns from really good to excellent due to a couple reasons. First, it fully realizes its critique of masculinity. Being a skilled hunter and the wealthiest person in town, Wade appears to have it all at first glance, but learning about Rafe's familial ties and Wade's cruel rejection of him due to his inability to commit to the consequences of his mistakes makes him seem like a pathetic person deep down who has all kinds of insecurities. Wade's points of "pride" are limited to him being a womanizer and the best hunter in the town. The group of hunters he spends so much time around don't have much to show for themselves either and largely exist somewhat in his shadow.
More significantly though, the second half reveal allows the film to branch out and explore the scope of the people Wade impacted. Because instead of just touching on the jealous husbands out to get revenge, it expands its scope to Wade's immediate family (and even his hunting dogs to an extent, given the boar hunt). The impact Wade has on Theron involves his hesitancy to commit to his relationship with Libby and progress up the social ladder since he'd have to leave Rafe in the dust in the process, who's far less fortunate than him. Their scenes in the final act contain a ton of humanity and the final couple conversations between them are especially powerful since it's clear throughout them that Theron wants Rafe to enjoy the life he initially had little chance of getting. At first, Hannah didn't stick out to me that much, but upon reflection, I was struck by how rough her situation is. Due to her strained relationship with Wade, saving Theron from his influence is all she can hope for, yet she lacks the strength to breach the barrier her husband has built up. Her best effort to fix everything only serves to cause more problems for both Theron and herself. There's also a lot to be said about the sheer contrast between Wade and Rafe. In spite of his lack of wealth and consideration for his well being, Rafe has a degree of nobility and genuine compassion that's sorely lacking in Wade. Financially speaking, Rafe lacks everything Wade has, yet is still twice the man he is on almost all levels.
Once the constant framing and reframing of the characters is all said and done, we get a nuanced ending which is hopeful only to some of the characters we rooted for. It's tragic in a sense, yet it gives another character a much better outcome than one might've expected. It's somehow the happiest ending one could expect from this setting.