So I’ve seen people point out that Father Jud is a carpenter but I haven’t seen it discussed that he tries multiple times to confess to murders he didn’t commit and in doing so, take on the sins of others and the consequences for them

what you need to understand about wake up dead man is that it is a coming of age movie about a 35 year old priest

I haven't really seen anyone talking about Wick's sexual harassment of Jud. He's making the guy listen to him as he details numerous fictitious masturbation stories. He goes into his fantasies and his positions in the very first confession so I can only assume it escalates from there. and we know that he does this multiple times, (probably often) in a way that means Jud has no way to avoid hearing about them, and also in a way which violates a sacred duty that Jud is bound to AND is a gross power play when Wicks has a senior position over Jud. Like, I know it's an extension of his disgusting power plays but I've seen quite a few posts about the misogyny and not much about that.

I dooo think its also important to remember when discussing Jud's character is that hes not the pov just because hes a Priest. He's also a former criminal and recovered addict. Like thats sooo important its part of why the town rejects him and treats him so terribly after the murder. He's a Good Priest yes but thats bc he literally Is the kind of person the rest of the church tends to scorn

In the new knives out movie we have a young woman struggling with coping with her pain and disability desperately turning to religion on the off chance she can get a miracle. She doesn’t believe but she is just that desperate for relief she would worship anything that offered it. She is told by her priest (that she gave her life savings to, her entire wellbeing is in his hands) that “there is no cure. You will die in pain and that (wheel) chair will be your prison.”

She is shown at the end still in pain, still struggling but no longer waiting for a miracle. Our valiant narrator tells us she has found her daily bread, a reason to wake up and try again each day despite her body trying not to.

I almost fucking sobbed. I’m not religious, but I’m disabled and there’s no cure and it hurt to see myself in this movie like this.

The thing i really liked about wake up, dead man is how the murders feel so justified for a moment. Martha gets her revenge and kills two evil men. Despite her drive being selfish and misguided, you cant help but think "well the world is better off without them soo." Until you remember Samson. Who didn't believe in the church but loved Wicks and Martha. A good man stricken down by the greed of other people. The movie does a good job at saying "yeah, bad people are killed, but look at the cost." Just enough to make you realize its not supposed to be cathartic at all. It could have been avoided with a little grace

still talking about wake up dead man but the moment during the call with louise where father jud looks down to the broken jesus figurine and realized how he had lost himself in the investigation. cause i chuckled a little bit when they smashed it with no hesitation after, just a little bit earlier, father jud had cared so much about the jesus images that he quietly removed blanc’s hat from the bust on the table as they were talking

i thought it was a funny way to show how invested he had become in being blanc’s watson, but of course this movie has an actual script so it comes back to bite him in the ass when louise reminds him what being a priest means to him and he looks down to see the broke plastic jesus looking up at him i love when movies are movies

I know we all adore Elizabeth's wedding dress-- of course, it is wonderful and ethereal-- but I'd like to share something I specifically appreciate in hopes you all will appreciate it too.

And that's how William and Elizabeth's wedding outfits look together.

They look like GHOSTS.

Like, this is how they would have looked at the altar if the ceremony ever actually got to happen. What a visual pair! Aside from Elizabeth's rosary, there's not a bit of color on them! They already look like they are ready to haunt that residence together, like they're already dead. How gothic is that??

I want to pair Elizabeth's bloody wedding dress with the way William's tux also gets all bloody after his strike to the head...

"Once again, the boys' club closed ranks, and there I was, the loyal little idiot - trapped. And I obeyed, and I honored, and raised your son, while you sat on your pulpit, shameless, you... HYPOCRITICAL SON OF THE BITCH!!!"

something about how the church was fundamentally supported by women. founded by a man, led by a man, but without the women it would have fallen apart within days

vera is wicks' lawyer. she's the reason he can keep doing this, why he's legally untouchable, why the church is legally untouchable.

martha is the one that makes sure everything runs properly. she takes care of everything surrounding the church. paperwork, laundry, preparations, none of it would exist without her

simone is the one that supports the church. jud literally says that her donations are the main thing keeping the place running, she says that the amount of money she's given is all of her savings. without her, there simply wouldnt be enough people/donations to keep the church alive

and of course, grace wicks. for years the entire purpose of the church was to teach the people to hate eve, to scorn the harlot whore, because without her as a warning there would be no fear uniting the "regulars" at all. she is so fundamental to wicks' church despite being dead before the story starts. without her none of them would have a reason to be there at all.

Thinking about Vera Draven. Thinking about being a bright young woman who wants to do great things in the world being pressured into moving back to your small town to take over your dad's practice. Thinking about being shackled with a boy to raise by the old men in your life who don't want to deal with their own problems. Thinking about him slowly turning into the same sort of craven, thankless man that brought him into the world, no matter how you try to teach him. Thinking about being trapped in this tiny town and this tiny church by powerful, power hungry men

The fact that Vera found out that monsignor was Cy's father from a colleague. God, no wonder she was pissed. That must've been so so so embarrassing.

Like imagine how that went down?

Lawyer friend: hey Vera um we got a document today saying that your client monsignor was your son's biological father, is that um true?

Vera *who has no goddamn idea*: ...

Lawyer friend: you knew about this right?

Talk about just absolutely humiliating. And then it explains all her comments about being the "loyal little idiot trapped" just doing their stupid bidding unable to say no. She's treated more like a prop than anything else.

And then for her colleague to see this before even she does. She's clearly well respected in her field. She must've been mortified!

And then the fact that the only thing that monsignor has on her is that her father would be disappointed. She has got nothing in hell to lose. Her father didn't give a damn about her feelings why should she give a damn about his?

What a queen

as much as i love "chuck a kid at them, character development ensues" stories, vera draven is such a fantastic subversion of that concept, because while it often works out in fiction, IRL people who say they don't want kids won't magically become wonderful and doting parents if a kid is forced upon them. plus, in those stories, there's usually at least some element of choice involved - the stumbled-into-parenthood character chooses to take on the responsibility for the kid, whether because they genuinely care about them or because they don't trust anyone else to do it. vera, though? vera didn't have any choice. (her dad doing the "here's a kid, congrats you're a mom now!" thing with the kid in question standing right there before vera can even process, let alone say yes or no? fucking diabolical.) vera's agency was stripped away, her life ceased to be hers within the space of a single afternoon, and no one ever gave her a choice or helped her or even said thank you.

so she's bitter. and she's aloof. she and the kid she was forced to raise never bonded. there's no love or warmth in their relationship, and neither of them were better off to have known each other. and her happy ending is getting say "fuck this" and washing her hands of the entire situation. and it's the first choice she's made in over twenty years that got to be for herself.

Btw Vera in Wake Up Dead Man is SUUUCHHHH a good metaphor for anti-abortion rhetoric.

Given a child and told she had to raise it? Put her life on hold for a child she didn’t want? All because of social, religious, and familial expectations? Yeah that sounds about right.

something I really appreciate rian johnson for doing in the benoit blanc mysteries is that he allows the victims of the bad guys to get PISSED and SHOUTY at them. Helen gets to vent her anger at Miles Bron and it's RIGHTOUS. Vera calls Wicks what he is at the top of her lungs. Blanc constantly calls the bad guys out on their shit. and that's so appreciated in a world where it feels like we can't do that anymore without being instantly turned into a excuse to cause further violence or being "unreasonable". we just can't be angry anymore.

One of my favorite moments in wake up dead man that I haven’t seen mentioned yet is after Vera’s epic crash out when Monsignor starts threatening all of them.

He threatens to destroy the doctor’s reputation by calling him a drunkard. He threatens to tell the world the author’s book is no good.

And then he gets to Vera and all he can say is your dad is so disappointed in you. And like you could read Vera’s face as feeling hurt over that. But I dont think it’s that. I think that she feels even more rage. She can see that Monsignor and her father have been holding that over her head her whole life. It is just as she predicted.

I think she realizes he’s got nothing on her. Nothing. She’s already an established lawyer. All he’s got is misogyny and hatred and shaming.

And also that he have the slightest inkling what she cares about anymore. Doesn’t even realize that she doesn’t give a shit what her father thinks of her anymore. Her father is dead. She realizes that Monsignor doesn’t even know her. She’s known the man her whole life and he thinks of her as a prop. Doesn’t even know her personality. Can’t even tell that she’s just done

His threats are empty and she finally sees it

Love how Martha cleans the church and the rectory, sews the testaments, files the paperwork, and even feeds Jefferson Wick.

That Vera took over handling his legal matters, and then (unknowingly) raised his son even as people spread rumors about it.

How Simone’s donated money is “his” church’s main source of funding.

Even Grace provides the bedrock myth his distorted church stood on.

But Jefferson Wick is so incredibly misogynistic he doesn’t even have a statue of the Mother Mary.