JakersWild

This was a good and thorough resolution to this series, or season as we say in the US. Must say I'm impressed with this show and how naturally and subtly the story is told. Perhaps because it is tiring that so much television has become about conflict through reality show level bickering, it is refreshing to watch something that feels more realistic and less exhausting. There are lots of funny tinged murder shows like The Mentalist or The Closer. This has more of a relaxed tinge. It is also nice to see more details of what happens after the killer is revealed than most crime shows provide, especially with the other suspects.

As to the question of why the son is so angry, there's a scene about 30 minutes in where he says "... and realised that this is who we are now." So in part at least his anger seems to be that scandal of events will follow the family. Of course, it's also believable that someone who grew up with two parents keeping big secrets and who also have had clear anger issues, that it could have been an unhappy household growing up and lead to another person with tendencies to aggressive anger. I'd worry what that man's family would have to deal with in him.

As I've read other reviews of this movie I've learned that I was apparently supposed to be horrified by it. I wasn't though. Sure there are some tough moments, but overall I just loved the story, the way it was told, the excellent acting, and more. There was no bad acting, nothing in the story seemed contrived, and there was nothing to nit-pick. The only weakness was in the commentary track on the DVD, where the director kept saying that every scene was his favorite (lame) and the poor lead actors had to keep finding something to chat with that dork about. Regardless, that would not be worth a negative score.

The most impressive thing about Mysterious Skin was the amazing performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He did a wonderful job, and his performance was all the more impressive considering he was previously known mainly for his role in the sitcom Third Rock From the Sun. His performance here was so impressive that it hardly seemed like acting, and any award nominations he receives are well deserved. If he doesn't win then maybe he needs to truly show full frontal next time, which for some voters seems to tip the scales. I'd have gladly watched him go full frontal physically, but watching him go "full frontal" emotionally was so compelling that it would be tough to expect anything more. Bravo, Joe, bravo!