The Guest

Thriller films hit differently, though they sometimes leave me questioning my intelligence.

Synopsis(spoiler alert)

The Petersons are still mourning the death of their son and brother, who died while serving in the military, when a charming young man with ocean-blue eyes suddenly arrives at their doorstep, claiming to be a close friend of their late son, Caleb.

Laura Peterson, who opens the door to him, receives him warmly, considering he has news about Caleb. Spencer Peterson, upon returning home that evening, is infuriated that his wife let in a total stranger, but after witnessing the facade of "coolness" David carries around, he allows him to stay until he can get back on his feet.

While staying in the Petersons' house, David earns their trust by getting involved in issues concerning the family. First, he brutally beats up the students who bullied Luke Peterson at school. He also kills the man who stood in the way of Spencer's promotion. Plus, he teaches Luke self-defense and even gives him a knife to carry around.

Unknown to the Petersons, David was never a friend of Caleb. He was actually the result of a science experiment gone wrong. The experiment messed with his psychology, leading to his murder spree.

When background information about David suddenly surfaces and the police are on his tail, he feels threatened and begins to wipe out the Peterson family one by one, as it was their daughter, Anna, who made the first phone call that led the police to him.

My Review and Rating

A short clip on TikTok inspired me to watch this movie. At first, I was rooting for David because he seemed like a cool guy. I even thought the police were after him and wanted him dead because he knew their secrets, but what I didn't realize was that he was a lab rat who needed to be shut down.

I actually admired that he taught Luke to stand up to the people who picked on him at school, and he defended others he met after becoming a "family friend." What I also liked about David was how he carried himself despite being faced with challenges. He was very collected.

But, when someone seems too calm and overly outgoing, there should definitely be a question mark next to their name. I'm glad Anna Peterson saw that blurry question mark and decided to run a background check.

One thing that kept me completely focused was the film's lighting: dim, muted lighting with a dominant use of a cool color palette. It matched the genre and helped heighten the suspense that developed in the film. But, as always, thrillers seem to make me question my intelligence, as there seems to be a missing piece in every one I've seen. How did David find the Petersons? And why them? Because at his arrival at their house, the way he gazed at pictures in the living room seemed like he'd been waiting to see them all his life, but later on, it's revealed that he was a military experiment.

I also thought for a moment that maybe he had some beef with their son and wanted to get revenge, but there was no such information throughout the film, hence the missing piece of the puzzle. I'm thinking there should be a part two that I haven't seen. Speaking of a part two, the abrupt ending also makes this thought valid.

All in all, The Guest, directed by Adam Wingard, is a great film that'll have you glued to your seat until its "wtf?" ending.

Do I recommend it? Of course, I do. It's dark, thrilling, has a clever plot reveal, and features charming and witty characters. David was my favorite character regardless of him being a felon. He's very handsome, with ocean-blue eyes. The ocean is beautiful but deadly at the same time. Right from when David walked into the Petersons' house, I studied his eyes closely. Though they were emotionless, I knew something cold was about him. Those eyes of his probably hypnotized the whole family until it wore off on Anna. You should check this one out.

When you are a person who is too detail-orientated and affected by the negative news around you, you want to keep your firewall high. In order to feel safe, you try to keep your loved ones in areas that you consider as safe as possible.

As a responsible parent, my firewall starts at the door. For the life I have created with my family, the place where we feel safest is inside the door. This does not mean that we are cut off from outside life. Of course we have a social life and activities.

[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/lo0jFE3XytyFOuT2jp79ZO12rSw.jpg)

However, some events that take place in the close neighbourhood and which we learn about later may require us to be overprotective from time to time. Being more cautious is reflected in our lives as a safer home, safer street, safer neighbourhood and safer city. No one who obeys the law and tries to keep the safety of their loved ones at the top does not object to this.

When I watched the 2014 film The Guest, it made me ask myself the question of whether the front or the back of the door is safer. And it caused me to add a few more bricks to my firewall. lol

[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/tyHN5gRotC8m8FN1jZ6RzsHARIM.jpg)

An unexpected visitor comes to the family whose son was killed in combat while in the army. He starts to emotionally exploit the family by claiming that he is a friend of their son and that he was with him at the time of his death. In reality he is a military deserter. The family is honoured to host their son's friend, but he has secret plans.

When trust is lost, it may not take a human lifetime to regain it. Why do we trust people so easily if it is so difficult to regain once it is lost? I asked myself this question throughout the film. While we easily turn our backs on those closest to us when they lose trust, taking someone we don't even know as a boarder for a simple reason is to ensure that the firewall is easily breached.

[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/t2zBvXpRgyx5yoXG0wceTDhCAQe.jpg)

When I have time and when I am bored, I sometimes watch television programmes that conduct investigations like detectives. When law enforcement forces are not able to illuminate an incident from decades ago, they are able to illuminate it in a short time like a few weeks by using the power of the media. In what I have watched so far, it has been revealed that the crimes committed, whether murder or theft, are always committed by people they know, people from their close circles. In other words, evil does not always come to people from afar.

I liked the acting of Dan Stevens, who gave life to the character of David, who is in the guest position in the film. Actually, the film misled me at the end. David was a military experiment on which tests were conducted. From the moment he joined the family, he was successful in protecting and helping the family, thus gaining the full trust of the family. At one point, I even started to think that he was the son the family had lost. In the last quarter of the film, I found what he did to the family strange and although I liked the film, I did not like the ending. It deserved a better ending.

[source](https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/1MmgpLAivFh1phK0YWMw0lDkUJa.jpg)

I recommend you to watch the film called The Guest. I think the film appeals to many audiences with the mystery it creates, the warm family atmosphere and the action in the last parts. It is blended as a successful mixture in terms of diversity. In the last scene, I couldn't make sense of whether the film ends or starts again, so there was a mysterious last scene.

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