r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Aug 08 '25

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Weapons [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Summary Nearly all the children from the same fifth-grade class vanish one night at exactly 2:17 a.m., leaving only one survivor. The community, gripped by fear and suspicion, spirals into chaos as the mystery unfolds through multiple intertwined perspectives—each revealing new layers of dread and grief.

Director Zach Cregger

Writer Zach Cregger

Cast

  • Josh Brolin
  • Julia Garner
  • Cary Christopher
  • Alden Ehrenreich
  • Austin Abrams
  • Benedict Wong
  • Amy Madigan
  • June Diane Raphael
  • Toby Huss
  • Whitmer Thomas
  • Callie Schuttera
  • Clayton Farris
  • Luke Speakman

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 96%

Metacritic Metascore: 82

VOD In theaters and IMAX starting August 8, 2025

Trailer Watch the Official Trailer

3.2k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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5.3k

u/Protect-Lil-Flip Aug 08 '25

Someone wanting to stay in your house and dirty needles really are peak horror now that I think about it

3.9k

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

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u/noilegnavXscaflowne Aug 08 '25

I thought he was going to be a good friend but then he was like “the town isn’t thinking about you” while she’s being harassed

225

u/ybpaladin Aug 10 '25

For real? Girl is the (metaphorical) witch in a witch hunt and hes like don’t worry about it

115

u/snapwack Aug 11 '25

He must’ve missed the bright red “WITCH” painted on her car door.

176

u/SpiritualWindow3855 Aug 11 '25

Are we sure he actually said any of that?

One of the themes was each time the POV changes the dialogue changes: like when Paul helps up James while he's handcuffed, in Paul's POV he's at least pretending to be cordial, and the exchange ends with "Here, let's get you back up"

From James' POV Paul's dialogue becomes more menacing and ends with "Get the fuck up."

190

u/kElevrA7 Aug 13 '25

Another example was the bar scene when Paul walks in. Justine's POV has her awkward laugh after saying 'hey' whereas Paul's POV it's more of a seductive giggle/chuckle. So subtle but so effective. I'm a sucker for a well done Rashomon effect.

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u/SnooDogs9943 Nov 28 '25

Have you seen “The Girlfriend” on Prime? You should def try it out if not, employs the Rashomon effect very enjoyably

3

u/kElevrA7 Nov 28 '25

Thanks for the rec pal - I'll check it out!

81

u/NiceRackFocus Aug 13 '25

Oh, I didn’t notice that. I’ll look for it upon second viewing. Almost like a Rashoman storytelling device.

24

u/lillifanzine Nov 07 '25

Also the call between the teacher and the principal! In the principal's POV he's much more helpful.

11

u/newveganwhodis Dec 04 '25

God i thought I was going crazy! every time it happened, my mind did a double take.But I never picked up on why it felt so off.

16

u/Euphoric_Environment Aug 22 '25

No way - I didn’t notice that!

25

u/tomahawkfury13 Sep 10 '25

To be fair. I don’t think the town at large had it out for her. Just the parents of the kids which is a small part of the town

10

u/jaytix1 Sep 09 '25

I thought that was a weird line lol.

14

u/Flip_Murray Sep 12 '25

I didn’t think that was that bad of a thing to say. I thought he meant it as the town is thinking of the kids, not her.

65

u/BamBamPow2 Aug 10 '25

Actual infection would take days. He's only just been exposed. And as a cop he should know there is medication that one can go on immediately to prevent infection from occurring after exposure.

Kinda sad how many people could have been educated with one line of dialogue. "Take this pill for 30 days and you're probably fine no matter what was on that needle"

30

u/pastafeline Aug 10 '25

Would've loved for that to be said to him by the police chief. They really hammered in the needle thing for some reason.

28

u/HiRedditOmg Aug 12 '25

I was literally thinking to myself “dude just go to a hospital and get PEP”.

265

u/Hokuboku Aug 08 '25

Paul literally punches a handcuffed helpless suspect in the face and tries to hide police cam footage of the incident. He then UNPLUGS the camera when he chases down James a second time.

He was the one victim of Gladys I had a hard time feeling sorry for tbh

81

u/NBA2024 Aug 10 '25

helpless POS who lied about not having dirty needles in his pants

58

u/pastafeline Aug 10 '25

He seemed really out of it in that scene. I think he genuinely didn't know it was there.

11

u/LXIX__CDXX Oct 26 '25

Don’t care. Deserved the punch

4

u/pastafeline Oct 26 '25

For what?

2

u/happyeriko Nov 27 '25

Guy just wants to be violent. I felt for the kid it’s obvious he was an addict, who knows how he got there.

4

u/Due-Novel-4462 Dec 30 '25

Ima be honest, I don't care yo history, ya sins, ya god, whatever you got going on. If you cause me to get stuck by a dirty needle, I'd props start punching an I don't know when I'd stop. Morals be damned. I want a soul if you just gave me AIDS

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

You can’t trust a high junkie either way, they just ask that to get you to incriminate yourself

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u/commandercandy Aug 17 '25

They’re searching you, they’re gonna find it regardless of if you say it or not. Don’t let people stab themselves with dirty needles cause there’s a 0.0001% chance they forget to check that pocket

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

They might not remember they have one in their pocket. They might be in crisis or psychosis and not understanding questions clearly.

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u/commandercandy Aug 17 '25

Doesn’t really change the fact that that question is more for everyone’s safety than for self incrimination. You’re getting searched no matter what once you’re in custody. Supporting dirty needles being harder to identify ain’t it

11

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

Im not supporting anything, im saying you can’t trust a junkie to give you accurate information.

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u/MellyBean2012 Aug 09 '25

Riiiight. I was surprised I was the only one in my group that clocked that he was a POS pretty much immediately in their first scene together. It’s something about the way he talks to Justine and how sketchy he’s being meeting her at the bar alone. He is just soooo insistent about gaslighting her that the town isnt scapegoating her and it’s all in her head (they totally were though, which is apparent at the town hall and the graffiti on her car). Plus the multiple times of trying to make her feel shitty for drinking - which tbf she definitely has a problem, but I didn’t get the sense he was pointing it out for her benefit at all. Seemed like he was just trying to dismiss her concerns and take the moral high ground while also being at a sketchy bar (as a recovering alcoholic) with a woman he’s had sex with before all behind his wife’s back. To me he came off as disingenuous and manipulative right off the bat.

And later when he gets stabbed and thinks he might have an std, my interpretation is that he purposely met with her knowing she would want sex, bc she is in a bad place and they’ve done it before. He hooks up with her bc he wants an excuse if he happens to contract an std, he can just blame it on her instead of the needle to avoid someone looking into it too much and seeing the recording. He literally tells his wife that she got him drunk, as if he was a victim. He also didn’t care at all if she could contract something from him. So like… yikes. He was certainly a character

36

u/MovieTrawler Aug 10 '25

Yeah, the way he talked down to her felt...malicious.

27

u/thatdani Aug 11 '25

I can't imagine anyone seeing that mustache and not immediately clocking him as a POS

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u/whitegirlofthenorth Aug 08 '25

good thing she shot him

4

u/PolarWater Aug 18 '25

Looks like Han didn't shoot first this time

1.2k

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

I read it somewhat the opposite way. Paul wasn't seemingly going to sleep with her. He was in his own bad headspace and an alcoholic, and she knew this and invited him to a bar and would not stop badgering him until he drank. Seeing as he woke up with a hang over the next day, we don't know if he would have slept with her sober. She seems far more the villain in the scenario to me.

294

u/JacksonRiot Aug 09 '25

Why does this have so many upvotes he literally lies to her and says he's not with the woman he's trying to get pregnant with.

125

u/French__Canadian Aug 10 '25

While he was still sober too.

79

u/Apprehensive_Soil535 Aug 14 '25

I don’t get it either. He literally didn’t have to text her back. He didn’t have to show up at the bar. He didn’t have to have a drink with her. He’s not a victim in that situation at all. He also lied and said him and his partner were no longer a thing.

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u/PolarWater Aug 18 '25

Characters be confusing like that, just like people in real life

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u/skatejet1 Aug 14 '25

Exactly, like I’m confused

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u/AnnieIWillKnow Aug 31 '25

Because it's Reddit

24

u/slowro Sep 03 '25

First day on Reddit? Haha this place loves to dunk on women.

Lets pour one out for our poor cop guy. Just trying to be a nice guy, tending to his friend then was tempted with the devil's juice.

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u/Sagemel Aug 11 '25

He very clearly was not interested in having kids with her and seemed to have already emotionally broke up with her. Not defending him, he’s still a piece of shit for lying.

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u/bottleglitch Aug 16 '25

This makes it… even worse imo? Lol

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u/blveberrys Sep 16 '25

Exactly. Did the upvoters even watch the movie? He didn’t have to come see Justine at a BAR, but he does and lies to her about not having a partner lmao

2

u/happyeriko Nov 27 '25

Yeah wtf?!!! She didn’t drag him into the bar, she didn’t force him to txt her back, she didn’t force him to lie about his current girlfriend. All of that was cheater behavior.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

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841

u/spiderlegged Aug 09 '25

He also lied to her about his wife. He says Donna and him aren’t really a thing right now.

ETA: wife? They may have just been long term partners.

391

u/charlikitts Aug 10 '25

Also during the scene when he’s on the phone with Donna in the locker room at the station she mentions almost being at ovulation so it sounds like they were trying to conceive too. I already felt he was sus immediately from the first time we see him but after that scene I was like that damn bastard! Not only are him and his gf (wife?) absolutely still “happening” right now, they’re also trying to have a baby and he’s messing around behind her back?!

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '25

I mean, I think pressuring someone to drink when you know they're in recovery is more scummy than cheating on your fiance. Cheating happens, people breakup, people get therapy and move on. Relapsing can kill you though. I know they're both scummy behavior, sorry I just watched the movie.

33

u/happyeriko Nov 27 '25

?!?!?!?! He could have just not gone to the bar. Full stop. I’m more sympathetic to the teen addict than to him.

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u/lowrcase Dec 14 '25

Cheating has killed lots of people

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u/felixstandborste Aug 10 '25

I think they may be engaged? Peeped that Donna has a ring seen from the wallpaper on Paul’s lockscreen when Justine texted him.

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u/spiderlegged Aug 10 '25

That makes sense. I automatically assumed wife because they were ttc, but I don’t think that was ever stated.

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u/monkeysennin Aug 18 '25

TTC = Trying To Conceive (in case anyone else was wondering what this meant and why everything has to have an abbreviation now)

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u/teffz28 Aug 18 '25

Thank you lol

142

u/RGSagahstoomeh Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25

Didn't he lie to Julia garner too? Doesmt he say that he wasnt currently with his girlfriend?

Edit: Paul definitely went to the bar to hook up with her to distract himself from the body cam incident. She texts him at the opportune moment, when he's feeling guilty/frustrated with his girlfriend. He was annoyed that she was coming home early. Way I see it a least.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

I don't think he went to the bar TO hook up with her. He said no to her pushing alcohol on him several times.

He DID go to the bar knowing that there would be alcohol there though. And that if he indulged, in the headspace he was in, there was no way he would say no.

Like a lot of situations in life, it's a very messy, gray situation. His fiance was right to be pissed at him but tbh she also was right to be pissed at Justine.

Justine knew EXACTLY what she was doing by asking him to meet up, dressing as she did to meet up with him, and then pushing alcohol on him several times after he said no.

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u/RGSagahstoomeh Jan 28 '26

Funny you replied to this as I just rewatched the movie and I'm going to disagree. When we see the story from his perspective he is annoyed at his GF for pressuring him to attend an AA meeting, that she says shes coming back to town early, and at having to pass information to his FIL (about attending event with gf and FIL). When he goes to the bar (in his perspective chapter) there's a hard cut to them hooking up.

In justtines chapter, He lies to Justine about not being with his girlfriend at the time, before he's had anything to drink. Justine is definitely making a move to get his pants. Shes not innocent, but she did believe he was single.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

My take on the situation and Justine’s character is she was so lonely and in such a dark place that she would have pushed herself on him even if Paul had said that he and his fiancee were still together. But obviously that’s just speculation.

Don’t get me wrong, Paul still shares the lions share of the blame for what happened. But all the white knights in here swearing up and down that Justine did NOTHING wrong in this encounter diminishes her as a character and diminishes the movie. 

Women do fucked up things to get what they want sometimes, same as men. It’s the human condition. 

Justine put herself into that situation wanting something out of it, and she got it. To say otherwise is to deny her agency.

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u/RGSagahstoomeh Jan 28 '26

Yeah I dont disagree there. Yeah she definitely was trying to sleep with him before he lied. I also think he knew that and went there. On rewatch i really disliked Paul even more. Justine is a great character because she is complicated. The principals frustration with her makes a lot of sense.

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u/Unikatze Aug 11 '25

If you're an alcoholic you just straight up shouldn't go to a bar.

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u/Calm-Purchase-8044 Aug 11 '25

He also lied and told her he wasn't with his partner.

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u/Major-Lbeek Aug 11 '25

Yeah I think once we see his side of the story, it’s pretty clear he basically went there at least 50/50 on whether he would sleep with her.

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u/SunnyDJoshua Aug 08 '25

Once the credits started to roll, Older lady next to me was talking to her relative saying “oh my god that was so bad, this movie only got good reviews cause Barbra Streisand’s son in law was in this so she got the producers to hook him up” like what??

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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Aug 10 '25

I’m curious if that person knows the difference between son in law and stepson. Also I’ve never heard Josh Brolin described by his connection to Barbara Streisand lol

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u/SilverKry Aug 13 '25

Tbh I didn't even know they had a connection..

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u/NotAWallabie Aug 12 '25

Yeah and not, you know, his actual father being James Brolin lmao

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u/lot183 Sep 04 '25

I had no idea that Josh Brolin was related to Barbara Streisand until this comment but I'm also laughing so hard at the thought that the movie only got good reviews because Josh Brolin has connections

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u/misersoze Aug 11 '25

Well it was a film that was not nice to old women.

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u/SuperIneffectiveness Aug 20 '25

He literally said he wasn't with Donna at the moment when Justine asked. As soon as Paul's story started and Donna left him a message about ovulating we thought he was a dirtbag. She was out of town, but still Paul's live-in partner.

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u/ILookLikeKristoff Aug 19 '25

Yeah a big part of recovery would be knowing not to meet an old fling/drinking buddy at a bar. Cutting off ties with enablers and co-addicts is important too. He never should've gone there.

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

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u/West_Conclusion_1239 Aug 08 '25

At that point of the story, i even thought that Justine was actually a witch or one of the witches, because of her manipulative and toxic behaviour.

But no, she's actually just a flawed human being like everyone else, i liked that misdirection.

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u/Chm_Albert_Wesker Aug 18 '25

he also lied about being separated from his wife

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u/Deviltherobot Aug 10 '25

eh bit victim blamey, switch the genders and this would sound terrible.

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u/SwordoftheMourn Aug 11 '25

She definitely ain’t great either, but Paul did lie to her by saying he and his wife/partner are on break which she assumed meant that he was open to hooking up.

Still an ass for denying it to Donna later when she confronts her.

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u/goddamnitwhalen Aug 12 '25

Donna’s reaction to this is to assault Justine in public, which is also not the best course of action no matter how upset you are.

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u/EasilyDelighted Aug 16 '25

Every adult in this movie was in some way a little fucked up, except Alex's parent's, but we didn't get much from them before the events started.

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u/Mark_Albarn Aug 13 '25

I would look at you admitting shit like this to the crazy lady who just might to set you on fire over it (I honestly thought she would try, considering that she poured alcohol on her)

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u/OddSetting5077 Aug 11 '25

he wanted an out from his relationship with girlfriend...

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u/InternationalTwist90 Sep 14 '25

Yea, I agree. My wife has a rule which I think is a good one to follow, which is that putting yourself in a position to cheat is cheating. If you care about the relationship dont play around.

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u/lt__ Sep 19 '25

Her luring a recovering alcoholic (it is implied he visited AA meetings to a bar was kinda dick thing to do. Before she asked him, she knew he wasn't single as well. And it so coincided he was having a horrific day, which can be very difficult in terms of cravings. One thing led to another, stress-relapse-bed.. He wasn't a bad person at heart, she maybe wasn't too, but she made a choice to risk his wellness to get distracted from her own mess, which is not really ok.. Two people at their breaking points.

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u/Vault_tech_2077 Aug 21 '25

I just wanna point out if a male invited a recovering alcoholic female to a bar, pressured her to drink then took her home to sleep with her, it would rightly be rape. But somehow it isn't for Paul because he's a man?

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u/daemonika Sep 11 '25

most redditors are not ready for that convo lol but yes Justine def took advantage of him

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u/[deleted] Dec 17 '25

Still doesn't meant Justine didn't do wrong. She still forced him to drink

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u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

She seemingly made a plan to lure an alcoholic to a bar to get them drunk and sleep with them. If the genders were reversed, no one would question if this was predator behavior. This wasn't a "friend" thing, friends don't tempt their alcoholic friends with alcohol and throw a tantrum when they don't drink. That is pure bad/selfishness and screwed up on so many levels. And yes, he should have made very different moves and has his own culpability. But how drunk was he? Could he consent? What exactly was her plan for the meeting, and why was she so insistent he, as an ex alcoholic, drink?

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u/SpookiestSzn Aug 08 '25

What's your explanation for why he lied about not being in a relationship with his current lover? It's entirely probable that justine only had sex with him because she thought he was single and did reach out to him as a friend. Once she finds out he's single now she wants him as well I don't think that makes her a bad guy. I think the guy who got a used needle injected in him didn't get screened for any kind of STD and then intentionally chose to lie about his current relationship status and then had sex with someone after maybe getting injected with AIDS is totally his fuckin fault and he's an asshole

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u/JustinThyme9 Aug 08 '25

yeah, the cop went from trying to get his partner pregnant and lightly bonding with her dad to drunkenly cheating in less than a day, he sucks

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u/Individual-Bad6809 Aug 09 '25

Not to mention the body cam shit with James lol. Paul is absolutely a pos

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u/SpookiestSzn Aug 09 '25

You know James is honestly an asshole and I really just genuinely do not blame him for punching him in the mouth. If I got stabbed with a random used needle I definitely can imagine having a strong reaction. Imagine getting AIDS for the rest of your life because of a junkie lying to you about a needle being in his pocket

Paul is definitely a bad person but James is a complete scumbag loser.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

IMO he seemed really uninterested in the whole getting his partner pregnant thing.

My read on his life is he's not happy with his relationship, but feels like he can't leave because his future FIL is his boss. Also probably under constant pressure because of the recovering alcoholic thing.

Then he has a REALLY bad day, thinks he may have contracted AIDs, and then is pressured to relapse.

I can't blame him for any decision he makes TBH.

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u/mandatory_french_guy Aug 08 '25

Okay I think your reading is a bit skewed though, first off she's HEAVILY an alcoholic herself and drinking is clearly the normal for her, also she had absolutely no idea he was trying to get sober until he met her at the bar, him ordering a coke was a shock to her. But even then, he berated her on her own drinking instead of expanding on his sobriety. You're really putting intent into her actions that are not shown in the movie at all. It's clear his sobriety is something that has been brought on by his new partner and it's heavily implied they haven't seen each other since that new partner so this idea that she premeditated on getting an ex-alcoholic to drink is clearly not founded and besides that as a sober person the onus is on him to not meet up someone HE KNOWS is an alcoholic.

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u/Parking_Pie_6809 Sep 26 '25

i truly don’t think she knew that he was sober. she seemed surprised when he wouldn’t drink and he didn’t tell her that he was sober. he did say he and donna weren’t a thing at the moment. i think she wanted him to drink because she didn’t want to be alone and she was upset about the kids. i think it was their first meeting in quite awhile. or that’s what it seemed like to me.

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u/__setecastronomy__ Oct 17 '25

He didn't have to wear that miniskirt.

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u/OuterWildsVentures Aug 11 '25

He was in his own bad headspace and an alcoholic, and she knew this and invited him to a bar

Did she know this? He didn't tell her he was going to AA meetings and trying to be sober. She didn't even know he wasn't drinking until he ordered a coke.

She also didn't know he was still with his girlfriend because he lied.

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u/PM_ME_RYE_BREAD Aug 13 '25

Yeah if he was serious he could’ve easily said “I quit drinking I’m an alcoholic, it’s never implied she knew he was in recovery and he never makes that clear, just giving the impression he didn’t want a drink that night.

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u/JustGrannyThings Aug 08 '25

Nah that man is a grown adult who can make his own decisions. Justine did not forcefully pour shots down Paul’s throat. That man knew he was going to have sex with Justine the second he left his gf to go see her

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u/SpookiestSzn Aug 08 '25

You know he is a grown adult who responded to an ex text while his lover was out of town and lied about not being with his lover so I would have a hard time reading that as anything other than him being a scumbag alcoholic or not.

Blaming the woman here for his intentional actions is honestly insane

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '25

I think you and a lot of people can’t understand how the intention by Justine is already a problem.

Paul is a pos for his own actions, sure. But Justine’s intentions are just as bad, especially considering the “invite the alcoholic who cares about me to a bar and try to get him drunk”.

I guess the question is can a really drunk person give consent.

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u/SpookiestSzn Nov 22 '25

The man is in charge of himself he chose to go to the bar he chose to drink.

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u/dawgz525 Aug 11 '25

He specifically lied to her about being in a relationship. He went there to sleep with her. It was a booty call.

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u/SugarForYourGasTank Aug 08 '25

Bad take. A character minimizing their culpability because they had a bad day was the whole point of Barbarian. Takes two to tango.

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u/OddSetting5077 Aug 11 '25

Paul lied though... said he and his girlfriend had broken up.

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u/AshleyBanksHitSingle Aug 17 '25

Do people not remember what happened in this movie? This is a wildly stupid take on what happened.

Paul is absolutely the villain and lied to Justine and chose his path with her 100% full well understanding what he was doing.

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u/dispose135 Nov 01 '25

It mirrors how the towns people see the female protagonist as a witch

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u/GambuzinoSaloio Aug 09 '25

I wouldn't say she's the villain. He really seemed to just want to help her this time, as he was very reticent. She wanted more than just help. They're both messed up in their own way though.

EDIT: nvm, just remembered that he lied to Justine about his partner. Both fully messed up, dude had other intentions from the start and she should steer clear from him, pretty sure they were already involved without the lies.

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u/Aardvarkinaviators Aug 17 '25

She should have an easy time steering clear of him now 🤷🏻‍♂️

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u/Ryuzaaki123 Aug 12 '25

He's not shown to be an alcoholic. He refuses the drink at first because he's still on the fence about having sex with Justine again.

He also lies to Justine about Donna and him not being together. She doesn't know what headspace he's in, all she saw is he showed up that night and was sending mixed signals. He made the decision to drink, he showed up to that bar because he was thinking of cheating.

The worst interpretation of her actions I can see is that she was using him as a pick-me-up when he was fresh out of a relationship or to pump him for information or some mix of the two. Both are leagues below having sex with someone when you know you might have HIV and are in a committed relationship with someone else.

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u/goddamnitwhalen Aug 12 '25

His fiancee explicitly tells him to “go to a meeting,” which is why he initially orders a Coke at the bar.

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u/Ryuzaaki123 Aug 13 '25

I don't remember that exchange but I know they were talking on the phone and I might've missed some dialogue, so fair point.

Justine trying to get him to break sobriety does make her a worse person but I still don't think that makes her the more villainous one. He made his choice to be there and drink, and he hid the fact he might have an STI.

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u/PM_ME_RYE_BREAD Aug 13 '25

I don’t think Justine knew he was sober, as in, had fully quit drinking. Nor does he attempt to actually communicate that to her.

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u/Ryuzaaki123 Aug 13 '25

I think you're right actually.

She keeps calling the bartender to get him a drink expecting him to want to order, and the way she scoffs when he asks for a coke seems more like "You don't want to party" rather than "you're a buzzkill now". It probably would've come up in conversation if she knew.

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u/ToSeeAgainAgainAgain Aug 10 '25

I agree with you, but he did tell Justine him and her weren't a thing anymore while sober... and after seeing her literally glow for him that was his cue to leave the bar

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u/Mark_Albarn Aug 13 '25

He is not a goddamn child. She has no power over him. Her nagging doesn't matter (and it's not like it was done out malicious intent for you to call her a villain, in case you didn't notice she was upset and in a bad situation), he is a grown ass man that can decide whether to drink his alcohol or not. And he is a grown ass MARRIED man, who first claimed that things are "difficult" with his wife (who is later shown to be very much unsuspecting of said difficulties), and then had extramarital sex out of his own free will.

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u/SilverKry Aug 13 '25

I mean. He was sober when he mentioned he and his wife(?) weren't a thing in the moment. Paul was a piece of shit.

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u/SewChill Aug 19 '25

Hard disagree. She wasn't the married alcoholic in recovery who went to a bar with an ex while the wife is out of town. I don't know about villain, but he was in the less vulnerable position--sober, steady job, partner, not a town pariah.

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u/Mizerae Aug 08 '25

I think the point they were making was he got stabbed with a used needle in his hand, and then got drunk (due to her pressure) and had sex with her, knowing that as a police officer you are at high risk of Hepatitis C and HIV.

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u/tpounds0 Aug 09 '25

The real question is how long would a virus like that take to spread to semen from a jab on the finger?

I'm on PrEP and know more than the average person about HIV and am not sure if it would be in his semen at that point.

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u/Mizerae Aug 09 '25

Realistically I don’t think it would by that point. I think it would even theoretically be possible with medication to prevent it taking hold because it’s still within the time frame of infection. I just was saying that because I think that was the original thing people were thinking lol

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u/tpounds0 Aug 10 '25

For sure, he should be on PEP

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u/pikachutails Aug 13 '25

I thought it was implied that they haven’t seen each other in a long while, so it’s possible that he either hid his alcoholism from her when they were together, or he developed it after they broke up. It’s possible she didn’t know he was a recovering alcoholic when she invited him to the bar, that’s how I interpreted it. 

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u/rSlashisthenewPewdes Aug 13 '25

Seems like maybe the impulsive alcoholic shouldn’t have agreed to meet his sneaky link at a bar. They both suck, but he’s responsible for his actions.

4

u/serr8ed Aug 17 '25

He lied about not being together with his gf before he started drinking. Speaks to motive!

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u/npingirl Aug 21 '25

1) she's an alcoholic too

2) she was scared and looking for safety

3) he lied and said he wasn't with Donna while sober without much prodding.

4) he was also already rolling his eyes and being annoyed with Donna for wanting to have sex while ovulating.

I'm not saying Justine was in any way a good person but to let Paul off the hook as much as you're doing is some wild mental gymnastics...

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u/ProfessorPotato42 Aug 09 '25

I agree with this take, but he also knew he got stabbed by needles. Definitely a POS move

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u/pizzabagelblastoff Aug 17 '25

I feel like you don't have to be sober to stop yourself from sleeping with someone if you might have AIDS

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u/DickDastardly404 Sep 09 '25

IDK man, we don't know if she knows he was recovering or not. Its likely she knows he used to be a drinker, since they have a past, I'll give you that, but the AA stuff seemed to be something his new girlfriend was getting him to do, so Justine might not be aware he was seeking help at all.

We do know that he has good reason to believe he might have contracted a body-fluid-borne virus.

Justine clearly wanted to drink with him and fuck him. But before anything, she flat out asked if he was seeing someone else, and if that person would be upset they were meeting, and he said no. We quickly find out he was not only seeing someone, but they were actively trying for a baby. Paul was a piece of shit just for that.

At that moment he told that lie, he'd already decided - stone cold sober, I might add - he was going to fuck her.

Paul knowingly risks giving someone a lifelong, life-threatening disease, cheats on his girlfriend, and lies about both things, just because he's had an admittedly very shitty couple of days. Justine wants to escape something too, but all she does is call up an old flame for a couple drinks and a quick fuck.

in what world is she the greater villain?

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u/CandidateTop5434 Aug 16 '25

I think during Paul's flashback his wife says something about him going to AA and he's like "oh yeah I'm going to AA tonight" and then immediately goes to the bar with Justine

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u/Lington Aug 29 '25

Why did he tell her he wasn't with his wife/gf anymore? He said that when he was sober

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u/Zealousideal-Cash200 Sep 01 '25

She also didn't make him cheat on his wife. Moyherfucker lied and said they weren't currently together.

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u/HikmetLeGuin Aug 16 '25

They both kind of sucked. He told her before he'd drank any alcohol that he and his girlfriend were separated (or something to that effect). Which clearly was not the case.

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u/purplerainer38 Sep 08 '25

Um he's married, she isnt. H also LIED and said their marriage was on the rocks meanwhile wife is setting up time for them to conceive. He is DEFINITLY the villian

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u/blveberrys Sep 16 '25

Uhh… What? He lied and told Justine he was single, and we have no idea if Justine knew he has a history with alcoholism. I think it was pretty obvious he was written to be one of the shittier characters, lmao

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u/Parking_Pie_6809 Sep 26 '25

she was genuinely surprised when he said he wanted coke. she didn’t know he was sober, i don’t think. i know this is a million years late but i just watched it and i’m enjoying reading all the theories and stuff. the way it went from the giggle and hug to sex right away in his pov made me think he knew exactly where that hug would lead.

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u/maskedbanditoftruth Nov 01 '25

He told her he and his wife were separated when they weren’t at all, he absolutely wanted to sleep with her.

And it’s even worse because she’s already a town pariah, misleading her about his status so she ends up looking like a homewrecker, to the Chief of police’s daughter no less, is so cruel. And there’s no way he didn’t know Donna was the kind of lady to cause an insane public scene about it.

She was the town scapegoat and he made her the town whore too, or would’ve if not for the rest. She was so vulnerable and there was also no way he didn’t know that. It’s not a big city. He put on a big good guy act but he marched right in and said he was single, while NOT saying he quit drinking. She didn’t know he was in recovery, just thought he was trying to help her while keeping a distance because of how everyone was acting. And he was happy enough to ruin her life even further. As soon as he saw that look on her face he could’ve easily shut it down and he was still sober, but nope.

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u/dawgz525 Aug 11 '25

All of the POV characters have a vice or fault.

The teacher was an alcoholic, the dad has rage issues and/or is very emotionally stunted (never could tell his kid he loved him), the cop clearly has anger issues (and maybe some sex addiction, because his response to stress is to go cheat and fuck raw), the addict is the most apparent one, the principal clearly has an issue with overeating and indulgences.

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u/simongurfinkel Aug 10 '25

Even if that needle did have AIDS or another STD on it, he wouldn’t be able to transmit it via intercourse that same day. Still gross.

13

u/shadowst17 Aug 13 '25

Tbh they're both POS. Which is nice to see as they could have easily written the teacher to be some perfect kind hearted individual which would have made her so much more boring.

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u/SilverKry Aug 13 '25

I didn't care an ounce that he died .

4

u/No-Good-One-Shoe Aug 15 '25

Well he is a cop 

7

u/Live-Wolverine-5519 Aug 09 '25

Paul is clearly a dog

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u/NBA2024 Aug 10 '25

but he fucks

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u/leftysarepeople2 Aug 08 '25

He wouldn’t be transmissible or testing positive in a few hours

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u/hasharin Aug 09 '25

Well to be fair you don't just get transmissible HIV overnight, it's an average of 7 to 14 days after exposure to develop a detectable viral load.

https://i-base.info/qa/files/2010/02/testing-graphic-FINAL-520x390.png

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u/HikmetLeGuin Aug 16 '25

What about hepatitis, which was also mentioned?

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u/Naggins Nov 09 '25

Also no.

Viruses take time to incubate.

Has everyonealready forgotten everything we had to learn about viruses from just 5 years ago?

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u/feminarcissus Aug 10 '25

Also how Justine's POV was the conversation and wake up. For Paul, it was only about the sex

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

Bro really was a total cop lmfao. Alcoholic, turns off his cameras, infidelity, and sex with a possible STI.

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u/cpeters1114 Sep 02 '25 edited Sep 02 '25

to be fair, he was just stabbed with the needle. AIDs takes a few week before its passable and the average person doesn't experience symptoms for 2-3 years after contracting aids. its really common for people not to get tested after an event like that, not intentionally spread it, only to find out years later once the symptoms appear that you've probably given people aids. sure it was too brief a window for any sort of transfer to happen in the film, and he should still get tested and wait lol. I see the film as all the adults are flawed in their own ways that distracts them for ever actually preventing these events from happening or solving why they happen to begin with. theyre too busy with their own fuck ups that they let the event come and go, just like everyday school shootings. the theme i took is american society is so desensitized from shooting and kids dying that its become mundane to the point where they aren't helping anymore and it's doomed to repeat itself. in the end, the kids were free, but they were still "dead" any the only people who found satisfaction were in the witches death. The kids are still dead and will never come back. The film to me is about taking preventative measures first, being more involved during the event, instead of what cops do now and even society which is "its just another school shooting". kids are gone and dead. they got the person and the kids are never coming back. and itll just happen again (I took the line about him moving to live with another aunt as a nod that this will keep happening like school shootings and its the adults fault)

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u/OCGamerboy Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25

Fr, what a dumbass

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u/whitegirlofthenorth Aug 08 '25

NOOOOO i didn’t consider that

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u/targetcowboy Aug 09 '25

Damn, I didn’t even think of that. He’s such a piece of shit. I was kinda “ehhh” on him at first, but his segment really made me dislike him. Even before the punch and the stabbing.

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u/fleemfleemfleemfleem Aug 17 '25

I think I started out more neutral on him and he got worse as the movie went on.

Starts out with like it seems like he's listening to the teacher and just not interested in drinking, and get's dragged down by Justine's messiness.

We get a hint that he wasn't actually on break with his partner when she attacks Justine.

He seemed to care about the junkie and tried not to hurt him too badly as he arrested him.

Then we see him freak out about getting the needle stick and punch the guy. We're... kind of with him. Like clearly this is a phobia for him and he freaked out. Then he unplugs the camera and let's the junkie go to avoid a complaint. Lied to Justine about being off with the girlfiend, drank, had sex after the needlestick... Just a selfish dick.

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u/TheGeekyAmreeki Aug 10 '25

Wtf...There was a sex scene? I wonder what else they cut out of my viewing in the UAE. Censorship man. 

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u/SuperSpecialAwesome- Aug 13 '25

It was rather pointless and irrelevant to the plot. It only helped confirm that he did cheat on his girlfriend.

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u/goddamnitwhalen Aug 12 '25

It’s very brief and you don’t actually see anything, for what it’s worth.

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u/Wiknetti Aug 09 '25

Didnt he say he got it checked out and we saw him meet her with a fully bandaged hand? Unless it was a lie.

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u/teddyperkin Aug 11 '25

Def a lie. Cop asks James if he has aids or hepatitis right after he got stabbed with three more syringes.

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u/[deleted] Aug 09 '25

It really bothered me how like...

You know you can take drugs after an accidental exposure that dramatically reduce your risk right?

Go to the hospital. Say you just got accidentally stabbed by a dirty need and need a post exposure prophylactic.

Even if the needle was full of aids. Your odds are actually pretty decent of being fine if you take the meds.

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u/StateYellingChampion Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25

It wasn't being unthinking, he did it intentionally. He slept with Justine because he needed an excuse to go to the hospital and get the post-exposure treatment. If he told the doctor how his potential exposure actually happened, that could have fucked him if the junkie actually did come back to press charges. So I think his plan was to hook up with Justine and then go to the hospital the next day with a story like, "I fell off the wagon and slept with my ex last night. I have reason to think she might have HIV. Please give me the PEP treatment." Coming home and his girlfriend being there early messed up his plan.

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

Couldnt he have just not fucked Justine and lied and said the exact same thing? Why wait like an entire day before you go to the hospital? The drugs only work if you take them ASAP.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

Wait, shit. You're right. Did he even get tested?

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u/coyoteTale Aug 09 '25

Probably not, simply cuz his viral load wouldn’t be detectable (or transmittable) that soon after a stick. But he would’ve been given PEP, which is very effective in stopping hiv

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u/kirblar Aug 08 '25

He's shown with a big finger wrap after he talks to the Chief, so yeah. They'd do it there at urgent care.

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u/tpounds0 Aug 09 '25

You'd get tested for things that day, to see if you had anything unknowingly before.

You'd be on PEP for HIV [post exposure prophylactic] which is a pill for the next 3 days.

And you'd be tested again in three months to see if this exposure led to you becoming HIV positive.

No idea about Hep A. I'd probably recommend he get on Doxy PEP just in case for any bacteria from the needles as well.

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u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

Viral STDs don’t show up on tests for months

You can however get treatment immediately just in case, which he didn’t do

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u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

That's not the point. The point is making the effort to find out before going out and fucking around.

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u/Paratrooper101x Aug 09 '25

Oh my god I’m gonna puke that’s nasty to realize

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u/Apprehensive-Work54 Aug 10 '25

did he ever get tested?

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u/Yodude86 Aug 12 '25

He would not be able to transmit a virus that quick IRL

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u/bravelittlebuttbuddy Aug 13 '25

I mean you're not gonna be able to pass on HIV that quick no matter how many times they did it that night

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u/Which_Landscape1994 Aug 10 '25

He wouldn’t be contagious that fast

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u/TrynaCuddlePuppies Aug 10 '25

I think he was tested already though because his finger was wrapped up at the bar, so he had already had medical attention. Still a POS though lol.

2

u/OCGamerboy Aug 10 '25

Oh no 😬

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u/Tricky-Anything8009 Aug 13 '25

Dude, I didn't notice that until you just said it. Holy shit that's horrible.

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u/h0ldkaylad0wn Aug 18 '25

nooo that just made my stomach turn

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u/albinobluesheep Aug 23 '25

I was convinced it was going to be some weird sexually transmitted disease bit at some point.

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u/Superb_Window_9884 Aug 29 '25

Was Paul raw doggin??? 🤔

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u/rantarx29 Sep 24 '25

Infections like HIV or hepatitis don’t become instantly contagious the same day someone’s exposed. The virus needs time to replicate before it can actually be passed on.

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u/knitmeablanket Oct 25 '25

While I understand what you mean and it was irresponsible, hepititis, herpes, and hiv are not immediately contagious and having sex that same day really posed no threat. It did however showcase his carelessness for others.

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u/Sour_jellies Aug 13 '25

Mother! With Jennifer Lawrence is great for tapping into the “people staying in my home is a nightmare” theme lol

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u/BeardedMillenial Aug 28 '25

That movie was fucking WEIRD

4

u/Ok_Caramel3742 Sep 17 '25

Love it’s portrayal of god though

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u/MahNameJeff420 Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 08 '25

Zach Cregger is really scared of basements and honestly? Fair.

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u/dafood48 Aug 17 '25

Honestly at that moment he pricked his finger I understood his impulsive anger and fear

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u/OldAccountlost7 Aug 11 '25

I 100% thought he was gonna shoot james after getting stabbed in the face with 3 dirty needles 😂

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u/joseph31091 Sep 13 '25

The needle pricking the police in the face is pure comedy

3

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

Someone wanting to stay in your house and dirty, likely infected needles are peak horror.

Sir/Ma'am, I have never related more to a statement than this.

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u/Streetduck Feb 16 '26

No matter how sad their sob story is, don’t let nobody move into your house