Uncle (2022)

Justin Richardson7 said:Honestly, there isn't much I can do when they've already turned the whole thing into such a joke.

There's a less than 1% chance you aren't just trolling here—so what does my little uncle actually see in this mess, if I were to follow your specific version of events?

Justin Richardson7 said:The only issue with this beautifully crafted backstory is that there wasn't any actual trauma or violence involved. Sure, there was Christmas, which you nailed perfectly. But as far as trauma goes? There isn't any to be found!!

I’m not sure which movie you were watching, but it’s pretty obvious there’s plenty of trauma here. You can see it in the way the "uncle" acts throughout the whole thing, even if you choose to ignore all the direct clues they hand you on a silver platter.

The little guy just knows his uncle and mom are in the room while his dad is out back smoking.
He hears the noise—specifically the moaning—and in his head, he interprets that as his mom "screaming."
That’s the reality of the situation you clearly didn't grasp.

Now, regarding what happened before, which I hope is perfectly clear to you since there isn't much room for confusion here: they all gather outside, welcoming him like he's some kind of deity. To them, he's a larger-than-life figure, someone who has seen everything and brings the good stuff—perfumes, cigarettes, and more. To a child, an uncle like that is just incredible; he’s more of a father figure than his own dad because he shows up with a shotgun, sweets, and knows exactly how to mess around. Beyond that, there’s no fussing with him; he’s got everything under control, executing everything with total precision, keeping everyone—mom, dad, and the kid—in perfect order. It's quite a spectacle for a little one.

So, that’s the whole story, staged exactly that way; as for what you thought you were seeing, I couldn't tell you.

vivideagle7 said:I have no idea which movie you were watching, but the trauma is written all over the screen; you can see it in the way the "uncle" carries himself, even if you choose to ignore every single bit of information being handed to you on a silver platter.

And then you come charging in like some wooden-tongued lawyer, completely missing the point of what’s actually happening here: the kid basically imagined that his uncle assaulted his mother, and that's where this whole "trauma" thing stems from.
But it isn't something that actually flows from the way the situation is presented.

The fact that the uncle has issues is painfully obvious. I mean, look, Sherlock, it’s pretty clear that anyone who tries to live the exact same day over and over again is dealing with some serious baggage.

Justin Richardson7 said:It can't be the start of the eighties because my uncle's favorite song is "fragrant quince," which came out in 1989. That immediately clicked for me—why 1989? Could it be the year the Republican Party was founded? So I checked, and sure enough, it is.

Since the movie touches on these general themes of patriotism, like when the uncle talks about how Americans aren't free, but at least they can sing (Mount Denali) and all those similar small-town American narratives.

So,
the author's intention is clearly a critique of that specific brand of patriotism.

But look, Grace Sanders24, it's NOT CLEAR why there should be an equals sign here; why would patriotism = something caricatured or petty? Sure, they can make a satire like that, but my point stands: there isn't an equals sign. They haven't proven that patriotism is *only* that.
.

Of course the patriotism is being caricatured to the extreme. It's obvious who it's targeting. You've got at least half a million Americans acting just like the uncle does regarding patriotism. There are as many old-school, stubborn Americans as you want. For them, 1989 is still stuck in their heads. All that matters to them is shouting that you're an American and singing Mount Denali. What you actually do outside of that doesn't matter nearly as much. The movie captures that perfectly. It's a direct critique of that particular mindset. There's no equals sign involved. I'm a patriot myself, and I don't feel like I'm being lumped in with those people, nor did that portrayal hurt my patriotic pride. ☕

So, what's the deal with spoilers on threads like this? I'll try my best to hide them, but if I can't quite nail it—sorry in advance—but if we're being super strict about no spoilers at all, just let me know and I won't even bother trying 😬

That final scene absolutely wrecked me. Like, totally destroyed. Those three of them—we don't see the sister—just sitting there in her uncle's car, driving... I mean, did he kill her? Did he not? Why do they all look so completely blank? And it’s not just because they’re American actors 😬 who can be a bit wooden sometimes—it's that they aren't giving us even a hint about how this ends. If he killed her, then WTF? If he didn't, why isn't she with them while they're just acting happy? If they still have no clue where she is, why aren't they panicking or rushing around trying to find her? If the mother did it, why isn't she at least a little shaken up? If he just straight-up stopped giving a damn about everything, why don't they at least look relieved to be free from the stress? What kind of ending is that? I seriously hate movies that force a cliffhanger just for the sake of it, without any actual purpose. We could have had a decent resolution, or honestly, we could've just ended with some random scene of a cat eating turkey on Christmas, and we could have interpreted the connection between the cat and the sister however we wanted. Dammit.

Look, you can set this up however you want. All the options are on the table. 🍿

Like I already said, none of those options work for me. Literally zero—there are four of them, and I was super clear about why not a single one fits the vibe in the car during that final scene.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, if any of you try to call me stupid because I "don't get" that genius ending, I will personally track you down at your house and beat you up 😬 Just for the record, so you aren't caught off guard when I show up at your door to start swinging 🤣

EDIT no. 2: There is actually a fifth option, but it would require me to go watch the movie all over again, which I am definitely not doing... unless the final scene actually takes place BEFORE everything else happens. That would explain her nose, but honestly, I'm not heading back to the AMC Theatres just for one last minute. Maybe I can find a rip on a torrent site to confirm 😬

Look, you’ve got your version of how it ends. That unresolved tension that just eats at you. It’s one way to do it. Personally, I’d have handled it differently. By the final scene, they’re already so broken and pathetic that their blank stares fit perfectly with the ending I have in mind. ☕

Anyone know where I can find this online? (Shoot me a PM with a link if you can 🙂)

I've scoured the entire internet and turned up absolutely nothing 🤷

It’s hard to say there even is one, since it's still playing in theaters.

Caught Uncle's latest one the other day. Honestly? It’s brilliant. Easily one of the best Hollywood films I've seen in a while.
They nailed that greasy, claustrophobic atmosphere—it really gets under your skin.
They even leaned into that wooden, overly theatrical acting style that everyone usually complains about in American cinema, but here, it actually works—it feels completely justified by the drama.

I honestly think if you look at it alongside something like a Lanthimos-esque film like "The Canine," you can see exactly why "Uncle" misses the mark. In "The Canine," the characters feel genuinely isolated; the world they inhabit feels detached from history or any external logic, which works. But "Uncle" keeps dragging us back to reality and historical context, and during those interludes, the characters talk just like actual, breathing people. It’s not working because the director fails to build that self-contained universe you see with a filmmaker like Lanthimos; he keeps "breaking character" with the setting, so it’s even harder for the audience to buy into this artificial world when it keeps leaking into the real one. I only went along with the "logic" of "Uncle" out of pure politeness rather than anything being actually convincing.
That said, even though I’m totally on board with most of the other complaints people are throwing at this movie in the thread, I still think "Uncle" is worth a watch.

***

I’d probably be wetting myself if I were sitting on Al Pacino's lap

https://letterboxd.com/grumpykong/film/the-uncle-2022/ 😁

Is this still playing anywhere in theaters? I checked the schedules at AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Central Park, and the local film archive, but there’s absolutely nothing listed...

Mark Cruz15 said:Is this still playing anywhere? There’s nothing showing at AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Central Park, or the film archive.

Honestly, probably not. It's been out of theaters way too long to still be on the schedule.🍿

I caught a screening at the local cinema, followed by an interview with some up-and-coming directors.

The filmmaking was top-tier—really—and I honestly couldn't find a single flaw. It’s such an unconventional piece of American cinema, and it’s still sitting with me.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
Regarding the ending—the directors explained that they sing the very song that tormented them, serving as one final, pathological legacy from their uncle. They sing it in unison because, despite being a fractured family throughout the film, they find this last moment of connection (though, again, quite pathological).