MovieChat Forums > The Invitation (2016) Discussion > Too often seen in movies

Too often seen in movies


So I'll start by saying I enjoyed the movie, and I tend to enjoy movies like it. However, I can't stand irrationalities from characters. So at a little over one hour into the movie, Will insists that "something strange is going on", and that the "invitation is a *beep* cult." He also demand to know what happened to Choi and at this point he starts yelling at damn near everyone. His gf then says that "we should go" and then Will says "something very dangerous is going on here."

Which leads me to my main question, WHY stay if you honestly believe something dangerous is going on??? Why not snatch your gf up and get the hell out???

I get it's supposed to add suspense and drama blah blah blah, and that it is just a movie, but c'mon... that's the one thing that honestly frustrated me about the movie.

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At this specific moment, Choi arrives and Will starts doubting his own sanity, and maybe it was for the best to stay amongst friends.

But I agree; I'd have left after Pruitt tells about his wife or sooner.

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Even though Choi arrived and Will ostensibly retracted his suspicions—to an extent—he still already committed quite a party foul, and it would've been best—if I were in his shoes—to simply leave.

Seriously.

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I think it's because he didn't want to leave his unsuspecting friends there while he was scared they were in danger.

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he didn't want to leave his unsuspecting friends there while he was scared they were in danger.


👍

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^ That's not a bad theory, either. Maybe we should've gotten more hint of that motive though.

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Well, he said so. That oughta do it.

I didn't find it very believable that anyone would stay, but the film did give us some reasons, and in particular spelled Will's reason out in his dialogue.

"I'm okay with it being awkward between us."

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I think it was pretty clear that he wwas worried about his friends. He watches one of them leave in her car because he doubts anyone can truly leave. Before she leaves, he insists that she be permitted to leave thus pointing out how he thinks they are already held captive.

He then smacks the drinks from their hands during the toast.

All he has is his gf and these friends. He is terrified that he is going to lose them again, permanently. He thinks his ex, her hubby and their two creepy friends are dangerous, and ya know... he was right.

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I think it's because he didn't want to leave his unsuspecting friends there while he was scared they were in danger.

But what plan did he have to save them? At best, his leaving might have prompted others to leave with him. Although leaving wouldn't have helped them, it would have made more logical sense than staying.

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I really think this is a normal human reaction. He knows Eden and trusts her. David seems nice enough but there is something weird with him. Regardless, wih the rest of his friends, his ex wife and his current girlfriend there, he was looking like the odd one out when pointing out weird things. He probably wanted to fit in with everyone else.

Not sure what I would've done in that exact situation.

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I think that it's hard when watching a movie like this, because as the audience we know that something really bad (ie death) is on the way.

But if I were in this situation, foul play would honestly not occur to me. I would be more likely to suspect that (1) Eden was being led into a dangerous drug habit, (2) Eden was considering suicide, or (3) Eden was being scammed.

Will is also in the tricky position of being very emotional but knowing that he is very emotional. He has a lot of doubts about his own perceptions, and things like the message from Choi followed by Choi showing up mess with his own sense of whether or not he is being rational.

In "real life" which is more common: that the one person is right and the whole group is wrong, or that the whole group is right and the one person is wrong?

I mean, I get it. I was practically screaming "Get out of there!" at the screen multiple times. But that's because I knew that I was watching a thriller/horror and that something nasty was on the way.

I mentioned this in another thread, but it's also important to remember that Will's guilt is specifically about not protecting someone he loved. So the idea of just leaving his friends at the house to face the unknown danger might be especially difficult for him.

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Very good points. And I understand him not wanting to leave his friends. But I think at the very least he could have gotten some help.

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When you say that he should have gotten some help, do you mean like calling the police?

I feel like in every situation there is a sort of tipping point and it feels like crossing a line. For example, if I'm walking in a parking garage alone and it sort of feels like a guy is following me or getting too close there's this invisible line where I have to decide when to go from acting normal (walking normally, smiling, etc) to acting like someone in danger (screaming, running away, calling 911).

If you cross that line and you're wrong you could put someone else in danger and seriously embarrass yourself. And it might seem silly to be like "I didn't want to be embarrassed", but I think that a lot of people sometimes let situations get more serious than they should because they don't want to embarrass themselves.

I'm really not sure what I would have done in Will's place.

Suppose he did call the police. What would he say to them? No one in the house did anything illegal or even dangerous. I suppose he could narc on David for being in possession of coke, but that would also mean getting Gina arrested. If the police did show up at the house, it's Will who would seem like the crazy one/threat. I can just imagine the police coming and Eden and David having to explain about how her ex-husband is very emotional and unstable after the death of his child. If the police did anything, it seems like they'd try to get Will to leave. And if Will went off about Choi being missing, well, we know that Choi was actually okay at that point and it would just make Will look crazier to make such a serious accusation and be proven wrong.

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If you cross that line and you're wrong you could put someone else in danger and seriously embarrass yourself. And it might seem silly to be like "I didn't want to be embarrassed", but I think that a lot of people sometimes let situations get more serious than they should because they don't want to embarrass themselves.


I think about this all the time. I am always aware of it when I come across someone creepy. I don't want to insult the person in case they are actually just an innocent bystander. It's a conundrum. It's also why I don't own a gun. I would end up shooting an "intruder" who turns up being a family member.

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I think about this all the time. I am always aware of it when I come across someone creepy. I don't want to insult the person in case they are actually just an innocent bystander. It's a conundrum.


Yup.

I read a book recently (called "How to Win a Fight") that I found pretty interesting. It was actually written more for men than women, but a lot of the advice was the same. One thing they said that I got really hung up on was "If you feel threatened, make a scene. You're never going to see those people again, so who cares if they think you're nuts?".

And as much as I'd like to embrace that philosophy, my impulse to not look foolish and to not make someone else feel bad is really strong. I think that it's a little worse for women because (1) we're supposed to always be on alert for danger but (2) we also get a lot more social conditioning to be nice and not hurt anyone's feelings.

I know in theory it's better to hurt a stranger's feelings than to be attacked or something. But if I ever made a scene and it turned out I'd freaked out on a guy who was just minding his own business, I'd probably obsess over it and feel guilty for like the next decade.

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@Stovepipe99


And as much as I'd like to embrace that philosophy, my impulse to not look foolish and to not make someone else feel bad is really strong. I think that it's a little worse for women because (1) we're supposed to always be on alert for danger but (2) we also get a lot more social conditioning to be nice and not hurt anyone's feelings.

I know in theory it's better to hurt a stranger's feelings than to be attacked or something. But if I ever made a scene and it turned out I'd freaked out on a guy who was just minding his own business, I'd probably obsess over it and feel guilty for like the next decade.



You're on point about how women are socially conditioned, but at some point you're going to have to learn to let that "nice, polite" conditioning go, especially when you feel your life might be danger. To hell with anybody's feelings or worrying about looking foolish---a stranger following you around at night or in the daytime won't give a damn whether you feel embarrassed or not, especially if they might be coming after you. If you truly feel threatened by someone, you raise hell and try to scare that person off. Especially if you live in an urban area---I had to learn the hard way that you can't be nice,accomodating and polite to everybody (especially if you don't feel comfortable around them at all) because some people won't think twice about disrespecting you or doing whatever to you---a lot of crazy people out here. The hell with feeling guilty about something---it's a hell of a lot better to feel safe than sorry.

Also, always trust your intuition--it can keep you from getting in some situations--I know this from experience. If you feel strongly that you shouldn't be or go somewhere or be with somebody or be in a certain place,listen to that feeling and go with it. I'd also recommend a book called THE GIFT OF FEAR by Gavin De Becker, which is about dealing with protecting yourself and listening to your intuition to keep you out of danger. Ihave to warn you, the first story in the book will creep you the hell out (like it did me) but it's definitely worth reading.

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at some point you're going to have to learn to let that "nice, polite" conditioning go, especially when you feel your life might be danger.


I'm a pretty cautious person, overall. I do a lot to keep myself out of situations that could turn out badly, and I surround myself with people whose judgement I trust and who I know would have my back in an emergency.

The only recent time that I did feel in danger (a man saw me walking alone toward a parking garage around 11 at night and ran across the street to intercept me and tried to aggressively flirt with me) I did stand my ground and make it really clear through body language and my words (I ended up saying "No, thank you" lol--that politeness instinct dies hard--but the tone was there) that I was demanding space and to be left alone.

I do think that Will's situation makes it more complicated. He's surrounded by people he trusts, and that's where I think I'd get caught up. If people I trusted weren't worried, I'd probably doubt myself for being worried.

For example: I am kind of scared of flying. And when I'm on a plane, looking around at all the calm/bored people makes me less scared. We take cues from the people around us, and Will consistently gets the message from his friends that he should chill out.

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I think he felt more comfortable staying there, since it had been his house and he'd raised his child there. He knew safe spots to hide, and he knew every doorway to help an escape, except for one they changed.

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7even days

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Than their wouldn't be a movie.
Its suspension of disbelief.
i told you not to stop the boat. Now lets go. Apocalypse Now

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Than their wouldn't be a movie.
Its suspension of disbelief.

That is never a good explanation - especially when a grounded and consistent in-universe explanation is readily available. It always makes me wonder if the person actually watched the movie intently or had other things going on distracting them.

Essentially, he didn't have enough confidence in his own judgement; his friends and girlfriend kept eroding any confidence that he did have by being overly committed to staying at the party and stating that he was the one acting weird.

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I've often noticed that when people deem characters' reactions as irrational they mostly make two fallacies: 1. expecting people o behave rationally, especially in emotional distress and 2. judging by how you would act.

There are many reasons why he might have stayed like, not wanting to leave his friends to danger, not being sure about his own sanity, feeling the pain of being in his son's house etc.

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Which leads me to my main question, WHY stay if you honestly believe something dangerous is going on??? Why not snatch your gf up and get the hell out???

Because he doubted his own judgement/sanity due to his extreme grief and his supposedly lucid guests kept telling him that he was the one that was acting strangely, not the hosts. Even his girlfriend placed the blame on him.





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