How did Avery's son, AJ, know about Luke and Romina's boy, Jason?
Did AJ plan on being transferred and meeting him for some reason?
The odds of it being a chance meeting are like 100-zillion to one.
AJ shouldn't have had it in for Jason, for any reason I can think of.
I unlike others liked the movie. I think it was dumb luck coupled with small community. Neither knew of the history.
shareIt was set up by AJ. He pressured his Mom to move in with his Dad... 15 Miles away. A brand new HS in his Senior Year. No one wants to do that by choice. His Dad was 15 Miles Away... he could of easily stayed at the same HS. They made a point in dialogue how close Troy was... "It's the next town over". And when asked by the School Counselor, he said his Dad wanted him to make the move. The Packed Party at his Dad's house showed us that he had many Friends at his old HS in Troy. So, this wasn't an unpopular kid looking for a fresh start.
In the locker room scene, he started putting the questions of who Jason's Dad was in his head. Jason told AJ that his Dad died in a Car Accident, so he was trying to spark the interest. "This guy that dropped you off from school, when did he move in". Putting the seed into Jasons head to question the whole story, who his Dad was. Then he was very pushy for Jason to come over to the Party. It was not just about bringing the Oxy, he wanted Jason at the house. His way of setting up the realization by Jason of who AJ was.
What is AJ's Motivation.... Go back 15 years prior,
Coopers character said that he couldn't look at his 1 year old Son because of the guilt. Then we find out that the Parents are Divorced. We are left to assume this incident 15 years prior, tore them up. And because of it, Cooper never had a great relationship with his Son. At the Funeral he tells AJ to come with him in the TownCar. But he says "Son" come with me. A signal that the relationship is by definition only. Not really loving.
So, AJ a Kid that feels somewhat rejected by his Father his entire life... and probably grew up with a Mom that mentioned the Shooting as when everything changed------ is on a hunt to get some kind of revenge. He does his research on Google... it was a major story, and figures out who Lukes Son is... and befriends him.
All designed by AJ. Brewed from his feelings of rejection by his Dad.
All BS. AJ didn't know. There is zero indication that he did. You are theorizing.
shareI agree I don't think AJ knew anything at all. I mean how would he even know what Jason would look like? You want to know why he chose to sit next to Jason at lunch? He figured Jason was the kid to get drugs from. It made sense to me and wasn't planned by AJ. AJ never knew that Jason was the son of the Father Avery killed.
shareHow would he know what he looked like?... Facebook. Yearbooks. It's not that hard to find information on people these days.
The whole movie is a Sins of our Fathers Premise. AJ is haunted by the mystery of his father's alienation from him (due to Avery's guilt feelings at having rendered a boy the same age as his son fatherless. He tells the shrink he can't look at his son without seeing the other boy).
He has deep anger toward Jason for having displaced AJ from his father's mind and heart. Immediately after inquiring about Jason's father, he comes up with a plan for Jason to score some Ecstasy. Upon conclusion of the deal they are busted - Do you also think that was by chance? Two random kids get rolled on by the cops with guns out. The Cops were tipped, thus the reason their guns were drawn. Usually, if a tip is called in, it's about a house that is selling drugs...not 2 kids walking down the street. But later they show the Drug Dealer was still at the house.. as he sold a gun to Jason; so he didn't get busted. Not a stretch to realize AJ called in the tip.
He is a rich kid... denoted by the $500 of X. Not exactly the type of kid to be hanging out with a lower income kid. His only motivation is to get drugs? It's HS, how hard is it to find drugs on campus. Not to mention he is 15 miles from where he lived... do you think all of his previous drug connections just dried up. But still go back to why would he leave his HS in his Senior Year? He could of easily lived with his Dad, and went to his old HS. His Mom still lives there, so keep the address, and drive 20 minutes to school. And he clearly was not a loner, as we saw all the kids at his Dad's house.
After they are busted, Avery is yelling at AJ to "leave him alone". Those words are meant as a hint. In other words, I know what the hell you are doing son... leave him alone.
Clanfrance could of shown you the exact steps, but instead he lays out a trail. To me that is what makes the 3rd act interesting. A chance meeting would be unimaginative and quite silly.
Initially I was leaning the other way (and thought less of the film for it), but after reading your excellent explanation, you've changed my mind. Lots of things that didn't make sense to me at first (like AJ's apparent understanding when his dad blows up about leaving Jason alone and when Jason blows up at him at the party), make sense when you see it that way.
The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is why he'd chose to take Avery out to the woods. He doesn't know about the suspicious nature of the shooting, so for all he knows, Avery is just a good cop who shot his dad in self-defense. He had more reason to kill AJ.
That's all conjecture. And even if - and that is a HUUUUUUUGE if - that is the case, then what was AJ's end game? To get Jason to... drive off into the sunset on a motorcycle?
Avery telling AJ to "leave him alone" means to not initiate contact with him anymore. Avery says earlier in the film that he's trying to forget the memory of the "incident". If his son suddenly befriends the son of the man he killed, that certainly will open up old wounds, so to speak. What if Jason's mother comes to pick him up one day? Or the Cross family gets invited over to dinner? Only if you're looking at it through this specific lens of yours does the line "leave him alone" suddenly "make sense".
"Usually, if a tip is called in, it's about a house that is selling drugs...not 2 kids walking down the street."
Where are your sources on this? It's not a stretch at all that people called the cops on some kids in the street. Sh-t, look at real life. People doing nothing get the cops called on them all the time.
Also, if the rich kid says his dad is out of town and is having a party, watch how fast a couple hundred teenagers show up. They don't have to be close friends or even acquaintances.
I still go back to my original point, something I don't see in your post: What is AJ's endgame here? Where is this "master plan" leading to? To get Jason in trouble with the cops? You can tell Jason doesn't care about that. Was it all a plan to get Jason in his house in the hopes he sees the picture of his dad in his police uniform so he can put two and two together and threaten AJ so he can beat him up with impunity outside his house? THAT sounds silly, my friend.
Sorry pjmck, I still believe it to be the simple "chance" meeting. And a big part of that is solely on how could AJ have known who Jason was anyway? He didn't share the same last name of Luke Glanton. Jason didn't even know his dad's name so how could AJ link the Glanton shooting to him even if he tried to research it? Avery doesn't seem like the kind of guy who freely spread details about the Luke Glanton shooting to ANYONE, especially his son. And even he knew some details about it, he would never have told his son that he can't look at him because the guy he shot also had a son. There's not even any hint that AJ knows about the shooting in the first place let alone that being the cause of their relationship issues.
The whole "leave that kid alone" scene is purely based on Avery not wanting the past to come back and cause an issue, like it eventually does in the end of the film. Avery would still remember Romina's "You *beep* up my son's life, therefore you *beep* up my life" speech and he doesn't want his own son to continue to *beep* up Jason's life or become involved with him in anyway.
You specified that AJ wanted Jason at the party so he would find out who AJ really was but AJ doesn't know that Jason has seen a picture of Avery and even when Jason asked AJ "Have you got something to tell me?!?", AJ basically retorts in a manner which would indicate he doesn't know what Jason is talking about and told him to leave the party.
So if AJ was intending for Jason to figure it out at the party, AJ's reaction would not support your theory. If anything, AJ's reaction would indicate he doesn't know anything about the connection between Avery and Jason.
Thanks for the enthralling rebuttal. I guess calling something BS sends the message you are looking for.
Zero Indication?! Clearly Clanfrance leaves it up to the interpretation of the viewer.
He didn't show you step by step, but my god he left enough clues to lead you.
But hey... if you want to believe the whole thing was by chance... that's your prerogative.
Not exactly original. Not exactly mentally stimulating. But for you that is clearly enough.
AJ clearly knew who the kid was and what he was doing. And dad knew that AJ knew as demonstrated by the scene at the cop station with the, "Leave that kid alone." Saying that didn't make sense within the context of a couple kids getting busted.
That and the other stuff with his reasons for wanting to move and yada yada yada.
It's still all somewhat contrived but not to the extent of a complete random chance meeting.
It's surprising to me how the film-makers decided to go with it. Normal M.O. these days would be to beat you over the head with it and over-explain. Instead they left it so subtle that (apparently) it can be missed entirely.
At the police station with Avery getting so mad, grabbing his son's face, saying "leave that kid alone"...AJ's reaction isn't that of "why is he so protective of this kid?"....AJ looked like he knew what his dad was getting at.
Also the scene in the locker room when AJ is giving Jason sh*t and starts talking about "your father" and saying "how long has he (Kofi) been there?" Jason gets mad, and the next scene is Jason at the dinner table, asking his family about his father.
AJ's character might have been just a manipulative *beep* to pretty much everyone, but some of the scenes and dialogue makes me think it's very possible that AJ did some research and intentionally *beep* with Jason. If not, I'm not sure why they would even have some of those scenes play out the way they did.
The interviews I've seen with him indicated that Avery's career ambitions is initially the cause of his relationship issues with AJ after those 15 years.
I think you're manipulating parts of the movie to create your own intricate plotline. While he may have left parts undisclosed or vague, you can't say that your theory is the intent of the director.
I enjoyed your thoroughly insightful theory! It indeed is open to interpretation, and i like yours! Cheers!
shareWith this interpretation, now I want to go back and watch closely to see if there were any subtle clues about AJ and his motivations. Interesting theories.
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I never thought of this, but I guess it is possible, even if it sounds a little far-fetched.
I thought AJ befriended Jason because he was a loner, and looked like a stoner. I thought he wanted to live at his Dad's house because 1) it was a bitching house and 2) he would have more freedom there. He probably never could have had that party at his mom's.
But he was obviously very manipulative. He wanted to live at his dad's but told the school counselor it was his dad's idea, even though he was really opposed to the whole thing.
I think your theory is one logical conclusion. I believe that AJ knew about Jason's Dad, but I see multiple motivators. I'm not sure AJ moved to get into contact with him, but it seems possible. I think AJ moved to use his Dad's house for parties and otherwise to ruin his Dad's chances at being elected Attorney General. AJ's behavior would likely be driven from rejection by his father.
I saw this movie as a commentary on nature vs nurture.
AJ and Jason thought of Luke as a badass and aspired to be like him. AJ may have thought that the two of them could be like Luke and Luke's accomplice. Jason was predisposed to bad behavior, but was well loved. AJ was trying to pressure him just as Luke's accomplice had. Ironically, it was Luke's accomplice that showed Jason that he got more from his father than a temper. The viewer is to conclude that nurture is the predominate force.
Holy crap... This theory makes so much sense.
Why would the filmmakers waste time telling the audience that A.J. is insistent on living with his father (I assumed he wanted his father's affection and attention) then show some banal scene of him telling the school official that it was his father's choice to have him move. Then in the lunchroom where he swooped in on Jason like a hawk, I chalked it up to him being a lonely and needy kid who thought Jason would be the best source for weed. But I still thought it was a bit intense (and Jason looked a bit perplexed too). Fast forward to Jason buying the drugs and A.J. insisting that he take it out of his backpack and hand it to him. I was a bit miffed thinking "God, that kid is pushy..." and then he out of nowhere turns around in time to see a cop car and say "oh *beep* but doesn't run! I know they had time to run because while he was freaking out I was peering at the screen to make out what the fuss was about as the car type was still unidentifiable (it was pitch black outside). And then we get to his dad slamming him against the wall and being so exact with his wording. I was appalled at Avery before I looked at A.J.'s face and instead of seeing complete confusion and bewilderment I saw that he knew exactly what he was talking about. I legit for a minute thought maybe A.J. was a troubled kid that had a history of manipulating "friends" and getting them in trouble. But your explanation makes more sense. If Avery for some reason kept the story from him, he would still have found out. From experience, I know that when a child feels unloved/neglected by their parent for a long period of time (years) they will try to find out why. Be it by asking another adult (maybe his mother) outright or obsessing over the parent's history to find the catalyst for the wall. I think A.J. did one, the other, or both. What I found surprising was that A.J. (who seemed to seek his dad's affections) did not heed his father's warning to stay away from Jason but instead antagonised Jason by asking rude questions then turned around and acted like it was a joke. His personality did a 180° and I was starting to wonder if A.J. was mentally ill. Then him manipulating Jason to go to the party. Again, why would someone trying to gain their parents love throw a underaged party? Skip to the party - Jason (rightfully it seems) jumps to the conclusion A.J. was intentionally messing with him. A.J. doesn't seem to interested in the reason for this odd turn of behaviour and the ferocity of A.J.'s attack on Jason could not be chalked up to drugs. This was the point where I wrote the character off as badly written. Then we get to the end when Avery walks in after being found in the woods (A.J. or Avery's wife had to have seen the picture of some other family in his wallet at least once in the past 15 years). The look A.J. gave him was not what I expected from someone who would be bewildered as to why the crazy kid at school would have a vendetta against his father. Instead A.J.'s look said: "I know I messed up, but I'm not that sorry." Again I was blaming the actor but now all the issues I had about this film has been explained away. A.J. knew all along and set the chaos up, the pieces now fit. Thank you!
An amazing theory, very well put. After re-watching the movie, and re-reading all these comments, from both sides of the issue, I think there is something revealed here that was very, very subtle and obscure. It may even be a correct interpretation, very deeply buried in the plot. Explains some puzzles that occurred on a first viewing of the movie.
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To me, clearly, AJ blames Jason for the disappointing relationship he has had with his dad. After re-watching it carefully — the jail room confrontation — and the lockerroom confrontation — these clinch it for me.
AJ sought after Jason – to covertly assert himself against Jason – and to indirectly get back at his dad for ignoring him as a child.
AJ may not even be consciously aware of all this, fully. It's buried deep in his motivations.
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Or, is it just confirmation bias? You see what you want to see? Only the writer knows for sure?
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Very intriguing and well thought out - It's inspired me to go read some interviews with the director and actors to get their take. I'm not sure if I agree or not but your analysis does tie together some questions I had-particularly why AJ seemed to head straight for Jason in the lunch room. I had assumed he scanned the room and looked for someone sitting alone-much less threatening to approach a single person than a group. I
As an aside-the manner in which AJ spoke bothered me to the point of distraction-he's an upper middle class kid from Upstate NY-not an illiterate kid from the inner city. I know that a lot of kids talk this way but I found it incredibly annoying. There, I feel better now-I can go complain about something else..
Thanks for your post.
"Gentlemen you can't fight in here!" "This is the war room!" Dr. Strangelove
Nice theory but it's a big stretch. I thinkt he answer lies in the conversation between Cooper and Byrn's characters at Avery's father's funeral. Byrn suggests to Cooper that it would be good for AJ to move in with him to straighten him out a bit, as she cannot control his behaviour (thinking maybe Cooper can... fathers/sons is the main theme of the movie). AJ wants to move in with Cooper because he knows he would have more freedom. Cooper is a negligent father, so AJ's behaviour continues to worsen.
AJ befriends Jason to access drugs - it is a coincidence plain and simple.
...For your health.
What ridiculous conjecture.
share
It was by sheer coincidence. They happened to be two somewhat troubled teens who were drawn to each other. In a school that small, I could see how it could happen.
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Alric
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and now jason's following his dad's footsteps and ending up the same way
shareI agree that AJ only stumbled across Jason, and was looking for someone that could supply drugs.
In the end, Jason rejected his mom and embraced his dad by purchase of a motorbike with the remaining bank heist money.
Not sure if I'd call that following in his father's footsteps, but certainly there is a connection between father and son at the end.