Identity (2003)
The primary focus of this podcast episode revolves around an in-depth analysis of the film "Identity," a psychological thriller that intricately explores themes of dissociative identity disorder. Set against the backdrop of a tempestuous rainstorm in a remote Nevada motel, the narrative unfolds as ten strangers find themselves ensnared in a deadly game of survival, with each character becoming increasingly aware of the mysterious forces at play. As we dissect the performances, particularly John Cusack's portrayal, we examine the film's capacity to evoke tension and provoke profound questions about identity and morality. Our discussion delves into the intricacies of the plot, the chilling twists, and the emotional weight carried by the characters, culminating in a reflection on the film's unsettling atmosphere. Ultimately, we arrive at a consensus regarding the film's merits, rating it with a nuanced perspective that acknowledges its emotional impact and storytelling prowess.
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Transcript
Mother.
Speaker A:Raining in Phoenix today.
Speaker A:Know how many days a year it rains in Phoenix?
Speaker A:Like four.
Speaker A:And it just so happens that on the day I watch Identity, which starts off in rainstorm before all hell breaks loose.
Speaker B:Welcome to the what's up Every Podcast where we fashion ourselves cinematic judge and Jerry.
Speaker B:My name is J.J. crowder.
Speaker B:I'm here with my co host, Alec Burgess.
Speaker A:Let's get it.
Speaker B:We appreciate you tuning in.
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Speaker A:Worker, not convicted murderer.
Speaker A:Don't tell convicted murderer about us, please.
Speaker B:Please don't tell convicted murderers.
Speaker B:Don't tell anybody that.
Speaker B:You know, that might be like most of the people in this movie.
Speaker A:Yeah, we can do without them.
Speaker B:Yeah, we'll pass.
Speaker B:For the sake of Alec, we'll pass.
Speaker A:Like, thank you.
Speaker B:I'd probably get along with a few of them, but we'll.
Speaker A:I'm the problem child now.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:For the sake of Alex sanity.
Speaker B:Let's.
Speaker B:Let's not tell too many of them, but we definitely want your friends, family members, co workers, and we appreciate you hanging out with us.
Speaker B:Also, go check out Patreon.
Speaker B:We have lots of content there, lots of fun.
Speaker B:You can vote on movies, you can vote on topics, you can provide us topics that we can then put movies in that you can vote on.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And all that's free.
Speaker B:And then we do have some tiers where you get some extra content.
Speaker B:Even full bonus episodes are in there.
Speaker B:And then a few lucky patrons get to tell us what movies to watch on a quarterly basis, no matter how shitty or wonderful they may be.
Speaker B:And we've had a pretty good mix of both, I think.
Speaker B:But yeah, yeah, it's been some wonky ass movies in those.
Speaker A:The wonky ones are the wonkiest.
Speaker B:Yeah, they've been, they've been weird, some of them downright scarring.
Speaker B:But look, we're on the final episode of October, John Cusack's month and it's Identity.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:It was written by Michael Cooney and it was directed by James Mangold, the James Mango.
Speaker B:I think this is one of his first movies that he ever directed.
Speaker B:And it stars John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Pete, John Hawks, Alfred Molina, Clea duvall, John C. McGinley, William Lee Scott.
Speaker B:I'll be going for a minute.
Speaker B:This is.
Speaker B:There's a big cast.
Speaker B:Jake Busey, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt Laisher and Holmes Osborne.
Speaker B:Don't forget about Brett Lohr, though.
Speaker B:Though he was a child.
Speaker B:He's not anymore.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's about a few people sharing it.
Speaker B:At a desolate.
Speaker B:Desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rainstorm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize they're being killed off one by one.
Speaker B:That was a much better synopsis than the last movie we did.
Speaker B:Yeah, very accurate.
Speaker B:This is again my movie.
Speaker B:And again, it's dualistic for me.
Speaker B:One, absolutely to mess with my co hosts, both Matson and Alec.
Speaker B:Because Matson, if he'd stuck around, which he's not with us anymore for now, his wife would have killed him if he was watching this.
Speaker B:Because she's like, got this though at the same time, when you get down to the crux of what this movie is about, she would have ended up being intrigued.
Speaker B:Cause she's a psychologist, psychiatrist, one of the two, and she's a child psychiatrist.
Speaker B:So maybe she would have been mad at me about the whole child thing.
Speaker B:Anyway, I also did it because we're in October and I needed to fuck with Alec.
Speaker B:And thankfully it got voted on and so we watched it.
Speaker B:But on the flip side of this, the other piece of it is I enjoy this movie.
Speaker B:I think this cast is absolutely stacked.
Speaker B:And as weird as this movie is at times, and at times how predictable it is in a lot of ways, it also has a pretty fun little bit of a twist.
Speaker B:And it's also like, it's.
Speaker B:It's tense.
Speaker B:Especially the first time you watch it.
Speaker B:If you don't know what's going on, you're like, what the is happening?
Speaker A:And I'll say, yeah.
Speaker B:And then.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker B:It's an intense movie.
Speaker B:Like, it's pretty.
Speaker B:Like, you talk about thriller.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's a little tense in moments and creepy.
Speaker B:And they keep you like, what the are we doing here?
Speaker B:Anyway, so I like it, but I think this to me on the flip side.
Speaker B:So we just.
Speaker B:Last week we talked about peak romantic comedy.
Speaker B:Cusack.
Speaker B:I think this is peak dramatic Cusack.
Speaker B:Like, I love this.
Speaker B:I love Cusack in this film.
Speaker B:I love how dark and broody and serious and yet Cusack, he is like, he's still John Cusack, but he's this darker, more serious, but still that like, kind of weird, odd, strange guy.
Speaker B:But you can't help something About Q Sec.
Speaker B:To me, it's in every film that I think really shines is you can't help but trust this dude and you.
Speaker B:You root for him.
Speaker B:And that's why I've never seen.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:And maybe he has.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:Even as an assassin in two movies, like, you're like, let's go, John Cusack.
Speaker B:Like, you can't help it.
Speaker B:Like, he's just that guy.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:But this movie, I really like that he gets to stretch those drama chops and like, it's a very serious movie and it's a very serious part.
Speaker B:It's not his quirkiness and.
Speaker B:And weird comes out in a very dark and very interesting way versus, you know, the.
Speaker B:The dichotomy of what we watched last week with.
Speaker B:With Serendipity, where it's very goofy and silly and.
Speaker B:And fun that way.
Speaker B:This is.
Speaker B:This is not silly and goofy and fun.
Speaker B:It's very serious and very dark and very disturbing in a lot of ways.
Speaker B:And he plays it wonderfully.
Speaker B:Like, this is one of my favorite Cusack movies, not because the movie itself's amazing, but because to me, he just kills it.
Speaker B:So that was one of the reasons, like, the main reasons that I picked it to get voted for.
Speaker B:For us.
Speaker B:And I was glad it got chosen.
Speaker B:And I know this was your first time seeing this, so I'm interested to hear, besides you hating me, what you thought so little.
Speaker A:Little background, right?
Speaker A:So I pick movies to watch kind of based on.
Speaker A:I know you're not supposed to do this, but I will judge a book by its cover.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:So you can see the logo down there, right?
Speaker A:I ain't watching a movie that's got a level like that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You're scrolling through Netflix and you see like, you know, John Cusack's face with blurred background, and there's clearly ominous tones.
Speaker A:I. I scroll past that and I'll go watch something fun and exciting.
Speaker A:Lightning.
Speaker A:And then on top of that, I am really influenced when I watch a movie and based on how I feel on my surroundings.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I've had a bad string of luck where, you know, at opportune moments, the door knocks or the power goes out or something along those lines, some outside force kind of, you know, affects how I feel about the movie.
Speaker A:On the flip side, I also tend to look for things in movies where I can be like, haha, fake, I'm good, or haha, lie.
Speaker A:That would never happen.
Speaker A:And so watch this, right?
Speaker A:And motherfucking raining in Phoenix today.
Speaker A:Now how many days a year it rains in Phoenix?
Speaker A:Like four.
Speaker A:And it just so happens that on the day I watch Identity, you, which starts off in rainstorm, before all hell breaks loose, driving on the 202, lube going, you know, in very little visibility, going, geez, you know, if I was on the road, this be a nice spot to pull over from a motel, no?
Speaker A:So that huge effect on my viewing of Identity and my overall feeling and, oh, boy, it got me.
Speaker A:I mean, I will say I. I always love a movie with Ray Liotta in it.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, A little man crush there.
Speaker A:He's phenomenal.
Speaker A:And this movie is a great psychological thriller.
Speaker A:Bad part about this movie, I hate kids.
Speaker A:Despise little bastards.
Speaker A:And the ones that.
Speaker A:The ones recently that have gotten me, that JJ's made me watch, all involve some kind of twisted, demented child that is the cause of all the problems.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Holy.
Speaker A:I will have some trouble sleeping tonight.
Speaker A:Yeah, tomorrow night and the night after that.
Speaker A:But it.
Speaker A:It is.
Speaker A:It's good.
Speaker A:We'll say that it's good, but, oh, boy, did I hate it.
Speaker A:And I've been jumping around corners, shadows, and I had to go a little more background.
Speaker A:I work for a company that deals with kids, right?
Speaker A:Indoor fun parks.
Speaker B:I've been.
Speaker A:I've been around little shits all day to day, you know, just.
Speaker A:And I. I've been working on stuff and some technical stuff, so I'm not paying attention, right?
Speaker A:And we all know kids, they'll just like, come over, climb on top of you, be like, yeah, be like, hey, what are you doing, Dude?
Speaker A:I've had so many where I'm just like, yeah, I'm like, ready to go like 17ft of space around.
Speaker B:Love it.
Speaker B:Love it.
Speaker A:Because you never know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Never know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Especially in movies.
Speaker A:Never trust a kid I don't know.
Speaker B:Especially in horror movies.
Speaker B:And here's the problem.
Speaker B:They did a good job making you trust this one.
Speaker B:And I think, yes, I think what really got me, I remember watching this the first time because I, you know, me, I love horror movies.
Speaker B:I love John Cusack.
Speaker B:I'm obsessed with Amanda Pete.
Speaker B:I love Ray Liotta.
Speaker B:So, like, I was sold on this movie.
Speaker B:The instant I saw the preview, I was like, oh, I'm seeing that.
Speaker B:And I remember going to the theater and being like, oh, this poor kid, man.
Speaker B:Like, of all the people to be stuck and that.
Speaker B:Like, you just watch your mom get run down by a car, she's bleeding all over the place.
Speaker B:Now you're watching Dead Bodies you're watching.
Speaker B:It's wild.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:This kid goes through and then the best part I think is he doesn't say a word the whole movie because he doesn't talk, he doesn't have to deliver lines.
Speaker B:He doesn't have to be believable because you're just looking at him as this traumatized child that was traumatized before this all happened and now it's just been compounded.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So it's like, how do I even suspect that this kid's up.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:He's like part of the background or the scenery.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Like they did a very good job.
Speaker A:And I'll tell you, like the, I mean, straight from the get go.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Because the first, you know, spoiler.
Speaker A:The first killing.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You have just severed head.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And not a single part of me was like, oh, you know, who's responsible for that?
Speaker A:Little kid.
Speaker A:Yeah, a little kid.
Speaker A:A little five year old.
Speaker A:He's the one who did it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so, and especially as you get further along and you start to learn more about the people involved, kid gets further and further from your, you know, like just off the radar, not even there.
Speaker A:It almost even becomes a forgotten character, like less than the background in the scene.
Speaker A:And so it's just a very good job of keeping it under wraps and not telegraphing where they're going and keeping the story and keeping you on your toes the whole time.
Speaker A:And no.
Speaker A:Oh, I, I know it is.
Speaker A:So, so, so, so.
Speaker A:And every single time, you know, then it's like they get ticked off the list.
Speaker A:Ticked off the list.
Speaker A:Ticked off the list.
Speaker A:And then you start wondering who could it be?
Speaker A:Like it, you know, does it end up being it?
Speaker A:And take off the list.
Speaker A:Take off the list.
Speaker A:So they did, they did a really good job with that.
Speaker A:And you know, despite the existential bear terror I was feeling, you know, I was, I was entranced with the, the story from start to finish on it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think like, so there comes a certain point.
Speaker B:And let me ask you this before I get into this point.
Speaker B:Did you figure out the.
Speaker B:I know it's not.
Speaker B:It's dissociative identity story?
Speaker B:Did.
Speaker B:Now did you figure that out or when did you figure it out or did that.
Speaker B:Because your existential dread kept your brain from firing on all cylinders.
Speaker A:So what I was, when I was watching, I was honed in on the actual story that they're showing you.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so I was also looking for connections.
Speaker A:When they're looking for connections and trying to piece together like who's the Main architect that put all these people in this place or who's the cause behind it.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Because there's.
Speaker A:There's frequently that kind of trope.
Speaker A:And so I'm looking.
Speaker A:Maybe they're connected somehow.
Speaker A:Maybe there's multiple people working together.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Maybe it's a screen thing.
Speaker A:There's two killers.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Or something along those lines where, you know, there's.
Speaker A:There's always a connection.
Speaker A:Always a connection.
Speaker A:And then when you figure out that this is all just, like, going on in brain and it's being narrated while as.
Speaker A:That was just like, oh, my mind blown.
Speaker A:I was shocked.
Speaker A:And I was sitting there going, damn, they got line and sinker.
Speaker A:I was buying it all.
Speaker A:Especially when they get to the point where, you know, this big, like, reviewer, it's like, oh, well, my birthday's next week.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And you think, oh, that's stupid.
Speaker A:And then so is mine.
Speaker A:So is mine.
Speaker A:So is mine.
Speaker A:You get this idea like, oh, hang on a second.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, maybe this twisted killer, because we obviously know twisted killer has a thing for people and tracked them all down and did all this weird voodoo or something like that.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's just that it's the same identity or different identities within the same person.
Speaker A:And so all these details match up.
Speaker A:And so I thought it was extremely well done.
Speaker A:If I hadn't been peeing my pants, I probably would appreciated it a little bit more.
Speaker A:But, you know, it is what it is.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, that means it did its job.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker B:So I. I'll be honest.
Speaker B:I figured it out pretty.
Speaker B:I don't want to say pretty early.
Speaker B:It was probably about halfway.
Speaker B:So what triggered me was the very first question I had is like, why are we in two separate places?
Speaker B:Why are we having this.
Speaker B:This trial?
Speaker B:Not trial, but this hearing, this midnight hearing, first day of execution.
Speaker B:And then what is.
Speaker B:So where.
Speaker B:Where is the overlap in these stories?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:So then my brain, I can't help it, I start going down the road of.
Speaker B:To your point, is there a second killer that this guy was involved with?
Speaker B:He's crazy.
Speaker B:They pinned it all on him because he was easy to do it to.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That was my initial thought.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And then I was like, what got me though, is when Ray Liotta's character tries to leave or not.
Speaker B:When the.
Speaker B:The dude tries to run away and then circles back, the.
Speaker B:The criminal guy and he's like, what's his face?
Speaker B:Crazy guy's son.
Speaker B:Anyway, the.
Speaker B:The guy that was the criminal in it, when he runs away and he loops around and he thinks he's run away on the other side, and all of a sudden, he's back at the hotel.
Speaker B:I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker B:That's not real.
Speaker B:Like, you can't get that twisted.
Speaker B:This is a fucking bright neon sign.
Speaker B:Like, this guy's not circling back like that.
Speaker B:At least not that quickly.
Speaker B:So I was like, there's something wrong with this whole scenario.
Speaker B:And so then my brain started, and then it finally clicked when the birthday came up.
Speaker B:I went, oh, God damn it.
Speaker B:This is all the guy.
Speaker B:They're all personalities, and they're winding it down, and that's where I was.
Speaker B:And then the numbers clicked in, and it's a countdown of all the different personalities.
Speaker B:The keys and the.
Speaker B:I was like, okay.
Speaker B:Oh, I got it.
Speaker B:But what with me is.
Speaker B:I was like, okay, so now it's easy.
Speaker B:And I got comfortable because I went, it's gotta be.
Speaker B:It's either Leota's character or it's Paris.
Speaker B:And it's just this sneaky son of a thing where she's like this cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, and she's playing it well.
Speaker B:And in my head, I'm like, okay, it's obvious he can't stand his mom because she was a hooker or she was a sex worker.
Speaker B:Let me back that up.
Speaker B:My bad.
Speaker B:She was a sex worker.
Speaker B:And he had this bias towards the.
Speaker B:The actual guy we see in his.
Speaker B:In.
Speaker B:When he's talking to the.
Speaker B:At the Earl.
Speaker B:Those overlapping discussions early on that he couldn't stand the fact that his mother was a prostitute.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:So I was like, oh, she's gonna be the.
Speaker B:Because the villain in his mind's got to be, what?
Speaker B:A prostitute.
Speaker B:So I was thinking, it's Amanda, Pete.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:And she's the next biggest.
Speaker B:Besides Leota, who's now dead or working on being dead.
Speaker B:I was like, it's got to be Paris.
Speaker B:So that's where I was going.
Speaker B:Then those sons of.
Speaker B:Got me with that little slap it.
Speaker B:When he comes out of there in Florida, when you're all like, yeah, doing oranges.
Speaker B:And all of a sudden, he picks up that rake thing.
Speaker B:I'm like, oh, no.
Speaker B:And he's.
Speaker B:And he was terrifying, like, smacking that at the.
Speaker B:What a great addition to that.
Speaker B:But that's where, like, I thought I was super smart.
Speaker B:I was like, oh, I figured this out.
Speaker B:Multiple personality disorder.
Speaker B:And then I went, oh, these sons of.
Speaker B:They got me on this kid.
Speaker B:And that.
Speaker B:The fact that it ends on that line of whores don't get A second chance.
Speaker B:I was like, oh, no, this kid's up.
Speaker B:And then the vans.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:What a up ending this movie has.
Speaker B:But I love it.
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker A:So I'm glad you walked me through that, because it's.
Speaker A:It's great to see where our minds diverge.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Because you.
Speaker A:You see the.
Speaker A:The guy leaving and coming back, and that flags you as being like, oh, this thing's fake.
Speaker A:When I.
Speaker A:When that happened, I was like, oh, it's a ploy.
Speaker A:Like, he's playing.
Speaker A:He's playing a con.
Speaker A:Or it's.
Speaker A:It's a move for him so he can get the fear and the tension up and everything going on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:What kind of crazy is gonna just wander off in the middle of the night after someone else did it and said, they circle back.
Speaker A:Like, you're gonna stay in the light.
Speaker A:And so that's where my mind went.
Speaker A:So you're already thinking.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:You're already in your mind.
Speaker A:You're like, oh, it's fake.
Speaker A:There's something else going on here.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm sitting there going, dude, this guy's an idiot.
Speaker A:He's giving away his entire plan.
Speaker B:I love, too, what they do to, like, really obfuscate, like, what's going on too.
Speaker B:Like, they have the random ass.
Speaker B:The freaking weirdo chick that's, like, freaking the out.
Speaker B:And then all of a sudden, this random ass that, if you're paying attention, you see the brochure that talks about the burial ground.
Speaker B:But, like, I.
Speaker B:And when it first came up, I was like, what was like, you're going supernatural with this.
Speaker B:Like, why would you do that?
Speaker B:And so it threw me off for a minute.
Speaker B:But again, it's genius, because we want to be like, oh, God, really?
Speaker B:You're gonna go with the burial ground?
Speaker B:But it distracts you for, like, five minutes, right?
Speaker B:Going, ah, they're not gonna do that.
Speaker B:And, no, they didn't.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:They scream.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:They throw all sorts of little out.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker B:You know, and it's interesting, too.
Speaker B:Like, the other piece, going back to the fact that it's a kid.
Speaker B:Like, you think about the way that the criminal dude died.
Speaker B:Busey's character died.
Speaker B:That little kid is not shoving that bat all the way down that man's throat.
Speaker B:So I'm like, there's no way it's the kid.
Speaker B:When you see.
Speaker B:Because, I mean, that thing was in his gullet.
Speaker B:Like, that wasn't kind of He.
Speaker B:That thing was almost touching his balls, it was so far down his throat.
Speaker B:So I was like, there's no way that little kid could do that.
Speaker B:But then when you.
Speaker B:And so it's wonderful the way that the structure can distract you from what the truth of this story is, even though it's all right in front of your face.
Speaker B:Like, if you go back and watch it again, which I know you won't, but because I've watched this so many times, like, I start to see, and I'm like, God damn it, how did I not see that?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Because once you know, the fact that they're.
Speaker B:None of them are real, they're.
Speaker B:They're having this basically twisted multiple personality fantasy of, like, narrowing down to one identity versus the 10, you start to realize it doesn't matter if he's a little kid.
Speaker B:Like, what's gonna happen is gonna happen because the personality and the.
Speaker B:And these personalities are as powerful as they want to be because technically, they're a figment of this man's psyche.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Like, you don't have to be some big burly ass to stick a baseball bat down a dude's throat.
Speaker B:That's why when the bodies start disappearing.
Speaker B:That's the other thing that got me.
Speaker B:The body started disappearing.
Speaker B:I'm like, wait, what the fuck is happening right now?
Speaker B:And then what?
Speaker B:That's the other thing that triggered me.
Speaker B:When the birthday thing came up, I was like, oh, they're disappearing because they're not real.
Speaker B:I was like, it's not real.
Speaker B:And it's so genius, the little bread crumbs that they give you that if you can do it.
Speaker B:And I, like, said the fact that there's so many, like, twists and turns to the movie, dude.
Speaker B:And some of the jump scares.
Speaker B:You had to have peed yourself a couple times.
Speaker A:Just six or seven.
Speaker A:It's fine.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like I look like when she's locked in the bathroom, the one I always thought of when I was watching it with you.
Speaker B:And she's in the bathroom, and, like, he goes quiet and she goes out to the door, and all of a sudden he bangs on it again.
Speaker B:Had to have gotten you.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, no, I jumped about 4ft up off the couch.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Or even when the mom got hit early on, like, she stepped.
Speaker A:Yeah, it just comes out of nowhere.
Speaker A:So they did.
Speaker A:They did a good job there.
Speaker A:I hated every single one of them, but they did a good job with it.
Speaker A:And so I can appreciate the game while hating the player.
Speaker B:Yeah, Yeah, I love it.
Speaker B:Well, and then I have the question, too.
Speaker B:So here's a question for you.
Speaker B:This is philosophical.
Speaker B:They don't ever give you an answer?
Speaker B:Is the dude in the freezer another personality?
Speaker A:Oh, like a dormant one?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Was he.
Speaker A:Was it one or.
Speaker A:Yeah, misused one.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker B:Was he.
Speaker B:Was that the first elimination of a personality?
Speaker A:Mm.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I could definitely see it being so because this is a movie and you kind of touched on a little bit, but with the hints and the clues and the breadcrumbs that they're leaving, like, especially since once you figure out that, like, this is all taking to place someone's mind, right.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:This is a movie where you have to watch it and every single detail or background thing can't be taken as.
Speaker A:Oh, we're filling space on set.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:They were.
Speaker A:They were putting thought into what they're putting.
Speaker A:What they're showing.
Speaker A:So the fact that they are showing freezer boy has to.
Speaker A:Has to at least lean towards the fact that this is a personality.
Speaker A:Either the first elimination, but if the body's still there.
Speaker A:I also wonder if maybe it's a dormant one or not yet foreign personality or, you know, if they.
Speaker A:They're capped at like 10.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Whatever.
Speaker A:And so now that they're down to one, if it's gonna start, you know, those pieces have to be filled, let's say.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so this is the next number two, or whatever you might be.
Speaker A:And so it's a.
Speaker A:It's a personality.
Speaker A:And loading or downloading.
Speaker A:I don't know how it works.
Speaker B:Yeah, I don't either.
Speaker B:But it's often one of those things.
Speaker B:Every time I see it, I'm like, what's the other than distraction?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Because then it puts the.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:There's this like.
Speaker B:Well, now you have to be curious about what's his face because he.
Speaker B:We don't know if he killed that guy or not.
Speaker B:He says it was.
Speaker B:He was just.
Speaker B:He found him dead in a banquet.
Speaker B:Popeye.
Speaker B:Like, very specific.
Speaker B:But who knows, right?
Speaker B:Like, we don't know.
Speaker B:Maybe again, he's.
Speaker B:We know that the.
Speaker B:The actual person has been going through treatment for a very long time.
Speaker B:Long enough that they figured out.
Speaker B:And he's had conversations that the doctors had conversations with Ed.
Speaker B:So it's like did.
Speaker B:Is the first bringing to this location of collecting these guys?
Speaker B:Did that take place between these first two?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:The hotel, the motel runner, owner, whatever.
Speaker B:And what's his face that comes in the.
Speaker B:The weirdo.
Speaker B:Because he obviously would have been a stronger personality too, because he had some of that twisted I don't like prostitutes piece.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so it's like, man, maybe he's part.
Speaker B:He may not be as twisted as the kid as.
Speaker B:But he's still up like.
Speaker B:And did he kill the.
Speaker B:So it's something.
Speaker B:There's a lot to this movie.
Speaker A:There's a lot.
Speaker A:While you're talking, I was actually as.
Speaker A:Id popped my head.
Speaker A:I wonder if freezer boy is like the original personality.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So again, I don't know how did works.
Speaker B:I don't either.
Speaker A:Right over my head.
Speaker A:I'm an idiot.
Speaker A:I don't deal with psyche.
Speaker A:I'm a psychopath, but I don't, you know, mess around with any of it.
Speaker A:But if there.
Speaker A:There's got to be an original personality.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And then these other personalities form.
Speaker A:So I wonder if the reason why he's frozen in stasis and still around is because he's the actual core personality.
Speaker A:And as long as the others exist, then he continues to exist, if that makes any sense.
Speaker B:What if that's his actual personality?
Speaker A:That's his personality that's stuck because he's bald.
Speaker B:He's a big dude.
Speaker B:Oh, dude.
Speaker A:As long as the others exist, like he's still there, but he's not being used because the others have taken up all the space or all the available gigabytes within the brain.
Speaker B:I've never been.
Speaker A:I've never put that popped in my head when you were talking about.
Speaker A:I never.
Speaker B:Because that's another thing we never see.
Speaker B:We never see the guy's actual personality.
Speaker B:He's always someone else or one of these personalities, at least when we see it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So that's a son of a bitch.
Speaker A:Maybe that's not one that really matches him.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And maybe that's.
Speaker B:I mean, it's a good point towards the.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The mental health.
Speaker B:Real problem of maybe his actual personality was killed off by these person, you know, long time ago.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, and.
Speaker B:And it works with the dialogue too.
Speaker B:He's like, I forgot all about him.
Speaker B:I put him in the freezer because it was hot.
Speaker B:And then I just kept going like, dude, that's.
Speaker B:That's an extra layer.
Speaker B:I didn't even.
Speaker B:Woofty.
Speaker B:Well done.
Speaker B:You up?
Speaker B:This movie's up.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, it is, but it's up.
Speaker A:It's kind of a cool up.
Speaker B:Oh, I love it.
Speaker B:I love the idea.
Speaker B:And I'll be honest, like, there's some places where, like, I want a little bit more.
Speaker B:But I think again, it's an hour and a half long, so it's very streamlined, it moves very quickly.
Speaker B:And again, there's some parts where I'm like, ah, Geez, that's hard.
Speaker B:But at the end of the day, when you get to the resolution and the.
Speaker B:Understand that instant that QSAC pops up in the.
Speaker B:The trial piece or like the hearing piece, like you're.
Speaker B:Everything goes.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter how off kilter or unrealistic or any of that it is because we know it's taking place in his head and it's not real.
Speaker B:So I have to all of a sudden go, well, I can't judge based on what the reality of a certain situation would be because there is no reality in this situation from a certain point of view.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, because it's all taking place in his head.
Speaker B:It's basically a fantasy in his mind.
Speaker B:So I'm like, I wanna hate, like how weird.
Speaker B:But here it goes and it messes with you.
Speaker B:And I think it's also on a serious side.
Speaker B:Less about the movie.
Speaker B:Like, again, I know nothing about DID other than what I've had conversations.
Speaker B:I don't remember what we did.
Speaker B:I don't even know if you were in on it at that point.
Speaker B:But we did another show that talked about did and Taylor came on.
Speaker B:Matson's wife came on and talked about DID a little bit from her perspective.
Speaker B:And I don't remember what it was.
Speaker A:I think I might have been there, but I wouldn't have.
Speaker A:I wouldn't have kept up with it.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:And I can.
Speaker B:I can only remember the conversation.
Speaker B:I can't remember what all she said about it.
Speaker B:But I say all that to say like it's an interesting like storytelling perspective or.
Speaker B:And not even that.
Speaker B:It's like an interesting outlook or take maybe on DID and what that might like might be.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It was moon night.
Speaker A:It was moon.
Speaker A:It was moon night.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:I knew.
Speaker B:And that's why I said show, not movie.
Speaker B:It was moon night.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Which I'm still mad about.
Speaker A:That we haven't gotten.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:Remind me after we're done recording and.
Speaker B:Because there's.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway, I have interesting thought on that one.
Speaker B:But yeah, so like I.
Speaker B:It's a very interesting.
Speaker B:And again, I don't know how much reality.
Speaker B:I don't know if that's even the treatment, if that's a real thing where we try to eliminate personalities or, you know, whatever it is.
Speaker B:But God damn, is it an interesting.
Speaker B:It makes for an interesting conversation or think piece.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Like where you're like, could you do that?
Speaker B:Could you eliminate down to one or two of the.
Speaker B:The gentle ones, the ones that aren't a problem or Ones that don't create issues for that.
Speaker B:This person.
Speaker B:And maybe that's.
Speaker B:Or can you eliminate it down to where it's just their base personality?
Speaker B:Or is that.
Speaker B:That split that crack permanent to some level?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:I don't know enough about it.
Speaker A:I like speculating much more.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's probably a lot more boring than I'd like to admit, but.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:The movie makes it an interesting conversation.
Speaker A:That's why the movie doesn't explain it.
Speaker A:Because then it lets her going to think about it and.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Draw our own conclusions.
Speaker B:So my last thought, and the one thing that really gets me with this movie is that moment when.
Speaker B:When Cusack pulls up into the.
Speaker B:Like, his performance as the.
Speaker B:That cuts away from them being in the rain.
Speaker B:He's trying to figure it out.
Speaker B:He's starting to piece together that there's something weird going on.
Speaker B:And he does.
Speaker B:Can't explain it.
Speaker B:And then he finds himself in the actual spotlight, if you will, of the personalities.
Speaker B:And it's like, holy.
Speaker B:The performance he gives on in that moment where he looks in the mirror and he like, loses it.
Speaker B:Like, what'd you do to my face?
Speaker B:Like.
Speaker B:And then it cuts from the.
Speaker B:From Cusack to the other.
Speaker B:The actual actor.
Speaker B:That's the guy, dude, that scene with me on.
Speaker B:Because I cannot even fathom what that would be like.
Speaker B:And then you have to wonder, okay, again, from a DID Perspective that I don't know enough about it.
Speaker B:Does that personality, this created personality have, like, where is the line drawn with how that impacts this as a human being?
Speaker B:Or, you know, how much empathy can I have for someone that's a personality versus a person?
Speaker B:But that personality is at its core a part of this person.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:So, like, how much.
Speaker B:How much some empathy.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, how do I not.
Speaker B:And so what really gets me is how much that draws on me.
Speaker B:That moment where I feel horrifically uncomfortable for this person.
Speaker B:Whether it's the personality, the real guy, like, whatever it is.
Speaker B:I have just this immense amount of skin crawl where I'm like.
Speaker B:I can't even fathom what that would be like.
Speaker B:Where you just pop up every once in a while as part of a personality.
Speaker B:And then you look at you, you have a vision of what you look like and who you are.
Speaker B:And then you see something different and you become aware.
Speaker B:And that's another question.
Speaker B:Could a personality become aware that they're just a person?
Speaker B:Fuck.
Speaker B:It just makes me ask so many questions.
Speaker B:But I love that scene.
Speaker B:The w. The acting in that scene is unreal from everybody Involved even the judge whose face goes, what the.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I love that whole scene.
Speaker A:No, you bring up a good point because it's, it is a, it is a mind on extraordinary, extraordinarily high levels.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because there's levels upon levels and there's not enough kind of common knowledge about it.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like I, I couldn't picture a different personality.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You know, versus like I know I have mood swings in a way where it's like, hey, you know, around and find out or come correct or get corrected or, you know, there's, there's different things there.
Speaker A:I interact with people differently based on, you know, how they interact with me and things like that.
Speaker A:And I can change, you know, the how people perceive me.
Speaker A:But that's all conscious.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:It's, it's not like the, the, the fighter part of me goes to sleep and doesn't remember anything while the, the more gracious or whatever person takes over in a situation.
Speaker A:Like I'm still conscious of the whole process and I remember or it's a conscious decision that I'm making.
Speaker A:So to not be in the driver's seat or to have this battle going on in the background is terrifying.
Speaker A:And then to top it off, right, you.
Speaker A:Because a big part of this whole movie is like, you know, are the personalities that are left, you know, the violent ones or are they the more, you know, amicable ones?
Speaker A:And like in that situation, there's no way to tell.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:Except that we all know if it comes down to a fight, the violent one is gonna win.
Speaker A:And then it just becomes, can they, you know, adapt enough to give out this vibe there that they're not the violent one?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Can they pull this catch 22 or pull this, pull this off long enough to, you know, convince everybody of the ruse?
Speaker A:And so that's where it turns into that, you know, real kind of tricky situation.
Speaker A:Because how do you know as someone who's having to judge or you know, decide, hey, is this guy going to get the, the death penalty or is he gonna go into a psychiatric place?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And you know, we, we obviously know the violent personality took over and you know, it wasn't the personality we're expecting.
Speaker A:And so then it leaves you very kind of open ended.
Speaker A:But that inner battle, like I can't even fathom because everything I do is a conscious decision that I'm going to do it.
Speaker A:And I couldn't imagine someone else in the driver's seat of this.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's terrifying, isn't it?
Speaker B:That's one of Those, Those.
Speaker B:Those disorders or like, yeah, whatever you want to call it, that I would just be like, I. I'm so glad.
Speaker A:Like, I'm.
Speaker A:I'm leaving any kind of 25 square mile radius.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm out of there.
Speaker B:I can't even think.
Speaker B:That's just unfathomable to me.
Speaker B:So, interesting movie.
Speaker B:Should we rate it?
Speaker A:Do it.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:My movie again, I'm gonna give this one a four.
Speaker B:I'm gonna give it a four, because is it where it's really good?
Speaker B:It's unreal.
Speaker B:Good.
Speaker B:There are moments where I'm like, okay, this was unnecessary, or they're trying too hard.
Speaker B:And I think, again, I go back to, like, I could have done without the whole trying to, like, have the weird burial ground thing.
Speaker B:Like, I think that just as much as I'm like, yeah, I get what they're trying to do and throw you off and add all sorts of like, well, is this a horror movie?
Speaker B:Is this a ghost movie?
Speaker B:Is this trying to keep you off the scent?
Speaker B:Like, I think they did a little too much.
Speaker B:And sometimes I get annoyed by it while I'm watching it.
Speaker B:I'm like, okay, just take me back to the cool people dying and then the really interesting storytelling that you're giving me.
Speaker B:But that's my really only gripe.
Speaker B:I think the acting is really good, and when you get a cast like this together, of course it's going to be good.
Speaker B:And I think the premise of it is wildly interesting and it makes for some really good conversations.
Speaker B:Like, we.
Speaker B:I mean, it's probably one of the most interesting conversations we've had in a long time about a movie because of the.
Speaker B:The topic and what it is and what this whole thing turns out to be.
Speaker B:And, man, there's some good scares, and it just kind of keeps you on the edge of your toes and trying to figure things out.
Speaker B:The whole hour and a half you're watching it for the most part, so.
Speaker B:And it's just emotionally destructive.
Speaker B:Like, you're like, jesus, what is happening with all the crazy?
Speaker B:So I like it.
Speaker B:Not a perfect movie, but it's good.
Speaker B:And I'll watch this one again anytime, unlike yourself.
Speaker B:But, yeah, so four for me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I will not be watching this again.
Speaker A:But I think if it wasn't as.
Speaker A:Because it's intriguing.
Speaker A:The source material is awesome.
Speaker A:Yeah, like, that's appealing to me, but it comes with the, you know, the outer.
Speaker A:On my first watch, I have these outer forces working on it.
Speaker A:So it's like, already in my mind is never going to happen ever again.
Speaker A:But I'm going to give it a three and a half.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker A:I agree with like the burial ground stuff and leaving some stuff off, but I wouldn't like cut it out.
Speaker A:I would replace it almost.
Speaker A:And again, this is coming from someone has no idea how did works.
Speaker A:But I would replace it with having a little bit more, you know, personality team up or like not as a group necessarily trying to figure it out, but finding connections between two of them that are more so than everybody else.
Speaker A:And so you kind of get almost like this team kind of thing going or, you know, to almost like gain up on another personality and so you can tick off more or people that you wouldn't think.
Speaker A:So you keep this hidden everywhere.
Speaker A:And I could even change the story to be like, hey, we got to protect the kid.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Not realizing that the kid's the one who's pulling all the strings.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so have that kind of as another distraction.
Speaker A:Oh, that's fine.
Speaker A:And as we're going on so there.
Speaker A:There's little things like that that I would have changed.
Speaker A:And then of course in this scary movie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But it's a good one and it's.
Speaker A:It tingles your brain and makes you think so it's.
Speaker A:It's definitely not like a, oh, I'm gonna put on identity because I just want to watch something.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:This is one where you got watch and pay attention to it to get the full experience.
Speaker A:But yeah, three and a half for me.
Speaker A:I think it was a good movie.
Speaker B:I like it.
Speaker B:I'm glad you liked it.
Speaker B:Maybe one day I'll make you watching again.
Speaker B:Happy Halloween.
Speaker B:And with that, Alec, tell people where they can find us.
Speaker A:Happy to.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Like JJ said, it's Halloween.
Speaker A:Ish.
Speaker A:So this has been week four of John Q. Sack's month with October movies.
Speaker A:And this is wrapping up John Cusack month and October movies.
Speaker A:Next month we'll have a brand new topic, brand new movies for November.
Speaker A:So looking forward to that.
Speaker A:Let us know in the comments below what you guys thought of.
Speaker A:Our rating of identity came out to be 375, which we don't do.
Speaker A:So round up four out of five.
Speaker A:So let us know if you agree, disagree, and why.
Speaker A:Best place to find us and see our smiling faces is on YouTube at.
Speaker A:What's our version?
Speaker A:Best place to find us outside of that is on Patreon.
Speaker A:What's our verdict?
Speaker A:Reviews?
Speaker A:We have 600 ish.
Speaker A:It's getting close up there.
Speaker A:If it's not there already, extra bonus episodes, content, bloopers, outtakes.
Speaker A:Matson talking about stupid when he was still around.
Speaker A:It's wonderful.
Speaker A:That is behind a teeny little bit of paywall.
Speaker A:So if you guys want to support the podcast, we do appreciate it.
Speaker A:It helps keep the lights on.
Speaker A:And so with that.
Speaker A:Oh, look at that.
Speaker A:With that, that's the best place to get involved with all the content.
Speaker A:We do have votes, so get involved with the content selection through monthly votes and movie votes.
Speaker A:And the voting part of it is absolutely free.
Speaker A:So you can just join up, get a little bit of influence on what we're watching, and go from there.
Speaker A:Special thanks to our current patrons, Charles and or CB And Rick Rich.
Speaker A:You guys are amazing.
Speaker A:And with that, I'll kick it back to the Colossus of clout, the king of Crash.
Speaker A:A jj.
Speaker B:Yes, sir.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:Alec.
Speaker B:Yeah, go check us out.
Speaker B:We have a lot of fun.
Speaker B:It's a little weird, but that's what we are.
Speaker A:It's a lot of weird.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So, yeah, as always, we appreciate you tuning in.
Speaker B:We'll catch you on the next one.
Speaker B:Cinematic.
Speaker B:Sam.
