Shout out to Warrior (2011) for nailing the dynamic between the main characters and their father

Spoilers for the movie Warrior (2011), if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it!

Warrior is one of my favorite movies for many reasons, including the great acting, awesome fight scenes, emotionally rewarding ending... But what stood out to me from my very first viewing, and one of the reasons I rewatch it, is that the script and acting totally capture the dynamic between the two brothers and their alcoholic dad. As the daughter of an alcoholic mother who has been sober for some years now, I identified with Brendan's anger and resentment toward his father. For a long time after my mom got sober I actually felt more angry toward her. I was angry at her expectation that now that she wasn't drinking we could have a great relationship. Even though she had quit drinking like I'd always wanted her to, I almost resented the fact that she was in control of her urges because it made me wonder why it had taken so long. Tommy's rage and belittling of his dad were also familiar. I saw it has his attempt to control and hurt his dad like he'd been controlled and hurt as a kid, and he was only able to show compassion and affection towards his dad once he had broken him down to the point of drinking again.

Funny thing is I watched the movie with my mom and she totally didn't understand why they weren't forgiving of their dad after nearly three years of sobriety. It gave me a chance to open up to her and talk about the other viewpoint.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my perspective and ask if this movie resonated with any other children of alcoholics for similar reasons. I know that this movie didn't do well in theaters but it's one of my favorites and I highly recommend it to everyone!

Submitted November 09, 2016 at 07:44AM by adjblair https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/5bx7nr/shout_out_to_warrior_2011_for_nailing_the_dynamic/?utm_source=ifttt