Take Me to the River (2015) - ENDING EXPLAINED

I analyze the 2015 drama, Take Me to the River. Spoilers obviously, so watch the movie and then watch this...you've been warned. Thanks for watching!

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[adriannepoindexter]

At one point Molly says, "they're not my real family" to Ryder. Maybe that refers to Ryder being Keith's son? Or is Keith abusing Molly and using Ryder as a foil? Molly has some disturbing behavior. Something is going on. It was very uncomfortable. Something is happening to this child. Why did Keith separate Molly and Keith from the other children? Why did Keith's wife go along with it?

[Dtaxhd]

The little girl was being abused by her father, that’s why molly acts like that. Her father abused her because his sister, Ryders mom, use to abuse him when they were younger. People that suffered from abuse are more likely to abuse others. Ryder’s mom Cindy ended up pregnant with Ryder and that’s why they moved away. Trauma and past pain made Kieth use his own daughter to try to setup Ryder to get revenge on his sister for abusing him when they were younger. Keith even said that when then they were younger, their mom always thought it was his idea but it was hers.

[Rinnegan]

I actually think that the most disturbing fact throughout the entire movie is that the director intentionaly puts Keith in that straight family boss father role, focusing on the ephimeral violence and impulsive behaviour, hiding the main deal, which is Molly being sexually and emotionaly harrassed by him. It made clear at the revelation scene that Keith was the one who taught Molly that chicken fighting stuff and encouraged her to do it with Ryden, just to get revenge from Cindy. He uses his own daughter as a way to get revenge from the harrassment he probably had suffer from his family, which tought that he was the one harrassing Cindy. This plot has a wight so heavy that which sibling was the one to blame for the chicken fighting stuff doesn't even has any importance anymore.

[chynemoore]

His parents was weak how didn’t they see what was infront of them …Ryder was dumb constantly hanging with a sick conniving little girl never opening his mouth to defend himself…family full of creeps

[Ursaminor]

I just watched the movie, and thought the exact same thing- then I found your analysis. I think the father was abusing his daughter and put her up to it with Ryder to make a power move against Ryder's mother about the secret. It's so weird and uncomfortable. I nearly puked when the lunch family scene was going on.

[sgaray]

I just watched this movie. Very disturbing that's for sure. I got a strong feeling that Keith was grooming Molly to be like Cindy. How else would Molly know about chicken fighting. Of course I didnt realize this until the ending.

[rachelcecil]

You didn’t mention how molly was weirdly sexually charged to Ryder and how it seemed like she was being coached by her father (when Ryder looks into the house and sees Keith whispering in her ear) when they get to the river and play “chicken” I almost thought Molly was having some sort of episode but quickly noticed how she was humping his neck. Like rubbing herself on him and she acted like she liked it. Very disturbing. Then at the end almost, after Keith and Molly are there and Keith brings up about how him and Cindy played “chicken”, Cindy walks outside clearly upset and after slapping Ryder says, “I was so young” and “I didn’t know what I was doing” this 100% conforms that she must of had some kind of sexual relations with her brother when she was a kid.

[ljones]

Teaching him how to shake hands and shoot a gun were things a father would do. Telling Ryder he was to be a father to Molly was also creepy. Very telling at the end when the father says that grandma or mother thought chicken fighting was his idea but it was really his sisters idea and she was always asking him to take her to the river. No wonder everyone looked so messed up at the end. Good analysis of the film.

[funkydoghead]

The uncle is ryders real dad
The mom moved away because of that

[smartnd]

I watched this movie and just got finished about 20 minutes ago. Decided to look up reviews and yours came up first. Want to say first off, good review so you earned a sub, also I agree with you. I do want to mention that I believe Keith may have molested Molly. I think this because of what she says to Ryder at the river. She asks him if she thinks she's pretty and says she's prettier than her older sister (Addy? I think her name was.) It sounds like something her father would tell her if he was molesting her, telling her she was the prettiest so she would keep it to herself. Also most of the movie made me very uncomfortable, I would have freaked out if I was in his situation. Kids already make me really paranoid, but this would have taken the cake.

[Austin-rmip]

6:30 I’m sorry, what? I don’t think Ryder did anything wrong either, but…. Well it has been established, like almost common knowledge, that predators don’t act off attraction. They work off power. So it literally doesn’t matter what he is, literally anyone could….

[Da_Real_Ak]

Everyone got it wrong it was the mom messing with her brother. That's why her brother said mom always thought it was my idea. When they played chicken, the girl where pleasuring them serve from the rubbing. Her brother was protecting his daughters from her, which is why he would not let her check her when she was bleeding. Nice twist, the mom is the actual pervert

[erikasantos]

watching this four years after this video is uploaded and i wanted to say that even though someone is gay it doesnt make them harmless. no hate to the creator of this video because its very easy to do this, yk the first defense being "theyre gay why would he touch a girl?" please remember that someones sexuality does not become a block or reason to avoid suspecting that someone is a predator.

[JoshOhea]

Loved hearing your in depth thoughts. You really don’t know where it’s headed. Such an awkward and uncomfortable viewing experience. You feel like you’re right there with Ryder.

[telecasterbear]

The idea that 'mom wants to return and visit with the 'circus' is twisted in itself. You can't fix everything.

[rodolfogonzalez]

Sacando mis conclusiones xd, el padre de ryder es el keith, cindy tenia una relacion sexual con su hermano (keith) escondiendola bajo un juego de niños...el cual pudo llegar mas lejos en un futuro y hacer asi que nasca ryder, no olvidemos que keith afirma que ryder no es hijo de su padre, tambien afirma al final de la pelicula que su hermana invento el juego de "los caballitos" y ademas añadir que el padre de keith y cindy se fue de la granja por una razon que no conocemos. Facilmente la razon puede ser el incesto que existia en su familia. Todo esto se ve reflejado como un trauma en keith por lo que pasa de ser abusado a abusador de alguna forma enseñandole estos "juegos" a su hija (molly) para asi obtener venganza con su hermana, manipulando a su hija para que meta en problemas a ryder cometiendo los mismos actos que hizo cindy hacia el.

[bungayourunga]

I think Keith might suspect Ryder's sexuality but is not trying to set up Ryder to cover his own abuse on Molly but because of what happened between him and Cindy has potentially made him develop the belief that it should "stay within the family" since he asks Molly if Ryder "played" with her then seeming disappointed when Molly says no.

[ericpa]

Thank you, it's a really subtle movie, a lot of things they don't tell you what is it. So it's really nice to see a review.

[MonteCarlo]

How old was Ursula Parker (child actor who plays Molly) at the time? How in the world can they make a child do that river scene anyway?? That is some Woody Allen pseudo art pedo bullshit.

[LucyPearl]

Thanks! I was totally lost and a little grossed out.🤦🏾‍♀️