Hi. Vi from Movies Hunter here. So today I’m gonna be explaining a crime drama thriller film from
2018 called “Back Roads.” Welcome to the twisted world of a struggling family in 1993 Pennsylvania,
where Bonnie’s violent past has come back to haunt them. Bonnie’s murder of her abusive husband has
landed her behind bars, leaving her eldest son, Harley, to pick up the pieces and raise
his three younger sisters on his own - 16 year old Amber, 12 year old Misty, and 6 year old Jody.
Harley dreams of furthering his education and living a better life, but the weight of his
responsibilities holds him back. He works grueling dead-end jobs just to put food on the table and
pay the bills. With a night shift ahead of him, he turns to his older sister Amber for help,
only to be met with harsh rejection. “You don’t deserve happiness,” Amber sneers,
as she is getting ready for a date with a mystery man.
But Harley is a fighter, he takes care of his sisters Misty and Jody and goes to work at the
local supermarket, where he meets Callie. A married woman with a life as dark as his own,
who just might be the ally he needs to survive this bleak existence.
That night, Harley stumbles back to the house, exhausted from a long day’s work. But as he rests
his weary head, he’s suddenly jolted awake by the sounds of moans coming from the living room.
Stalking over to investigate, he finds his sister Amber in a unspeakable position with
a stranger on the couch. Enraged, he storms outside and fires off a few
shots into the air to scare the interloper away. But as Misty and Jody rouse from their slumber,
they’re met with the sight of their brother and sister locked in a heated argument. The stranger
quickly scurries off, leaving Harley to make his final stand by setting the couch ablaze.
The next day, Harley and Jody visit their mother, Bonnie, behind bars. Two years have
passed since she took the life of her husband, but for Harley, this is the first time he’s
seen her in the flesh. He left Misty at home, not wanting her and Jody to get into another fight on
the way. As for Amber, she couldn’t care less. Harley believes his mother is content to rot away
in prison, choosing the cold embrace of her cell over the warmth of her own family. But
as they sit face to face with Bonnie, the weight of reality crashes down on Harley
and he collapses in a panic attack. With the court’s order, Harley begins
to see a therapist, who quickly notes his belief that his mother cares more
for the girls than for him. Harley believes it’s because the girls can bear children,
while boys can simply walk away. But if he ever fathers a child, he vows to marry the mother,
not out of love, but out of a sense of duty. As a child, Harley and his sisters endured the
horrors of a monstrous father who beat and abused them. The mere mention of
their father’s name sends Harley into a rage, and he storms out of therapy
before the therapist can delve any deeper. The tension at dinner is palpable as Harley’s
sisters reveal that Callie had stopped by, leaving a mysterious present behind. Harley’s
world is turned upside down when his sister Amber dangles a tempting offer in front of
him – a chance to escape the hellish memories of his childhood by going on a date with one of her
friends. But when he realizes the girl is only 16, he turns down the offer without hesitation.
In the bleakness of his late-night supermarket shift, Harley runs into Callie again and feels
a glimmer of hope. The two bond over their shared love of art, and Harley starts to see the light at
the end of the tunnel. But just when he thinks he’s made a connection, Uncle Mike shows up,
a living reminder of the family that haunts them. Mike’s the only one who still cares for Harley and
his sisters, but the rest of their father’s kin have severed ties, unable to stomach the
shame of their association with the family. In the dead of night, Harley stumbles to
Callie’s door, suffocating from a panic attack. He plunges into the shadows of the forest and Callie
chases after him. Despite her attempts to soothe him, he tears off his clothes and romances her in
the wilderness. The next morning, Harley awakes to find Callie missing. He tracks her down at work,
where she apologizes for fleeing and warns him that what happened in the woods should
never be repeated. But Callie’s desire to help Harley goes beyond mere words,
and she invites him to her empty home while her husband is away. After his shift, Harley
makes his way to Callie’s, where she submits to him completely, willing to give everything
to ease his emotional and physical pain. When Harley returns home, he discovers that
his sister Misty has stumbled upon their mother’s hidden stash of cash. $1000 to be exact. But when
he approaches her, kindly asking for the money, Amber steps in with a vengeance, slapping Misty
and snatching the loot for herself. Her demands? A driver’s license for
her. But Harley, wise to the ways of the world, knows better. Taxes for the house
come first. Amber’s rage boils over, and she unleashes a barrage of curses upon Harley.
Feeling defeated, Harley takes refuge in the arms of his lover Callie. The two continue
their illicit tryst, seeking solace in each other’s embrace and finding peace in their
secret clinches, no matter where they may be. As Harley sits in the therapist’s office,
the weight of years of abuse and trauma come crashing down. The therapist cautiously prods,
sensing there’s more to the story. “Was Misty ever... sexually abused by your father?” Harley
nods, confirming the therapist’s fears. But what about Amber, the therapist asks,
trying to understand the twisted dynamic of this broken family. Harley’s eyes darken,
and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “Amber and I never had a healthy relationship. Our
father never laid a hand on her,” he sneers, a twisted sense of gratitude for her being
spared the abuse that he and Misty endured. Harley storms out of the therapist’s office, rage
and pain boiling over. He stumbles home, only to find Amber packing her bags, ready to leave with
her new boyfriend. He tries to stop her, to make her stay, but Amber is done with this toxic family
and the abuse that has defined their lives. Harley’s world is about to be turned upside
down as he confronts Jody about Amber’s sudden departure. With a deadly serious tone, Jody drops
a bombshell – Amber and Misty were heard arguing about something concerning Harley. It’s only
getting worse from here. Jody then confesses to finding a blood-soaked cloth belonging to Misty,
the same cloth she was wearing the day their father was murdered. The realization dawns on
Harley – Misty was with their father and mother on that fateful day and if rumors of their father’s
abuse are true, then it’s possible she pulled the trigger to protect herself. And to avoid
her being caught, their dear mother Bonnie must have taken the fall and served time in her place.
Next day, Harley pays his dear old mother a visit. He spills all the grisly details
of the past few days, all while gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. With a sneer, he
demands to know why she’s been taking the rap for Misty all these years. But of course, she’s not
actually in love with her prison cell, is she? Well, hold on to your hats folks, because the
truth is about to blow your minds. Turns out, it wasn’t Misty pulling the trigger on dear old dad.
No, no, no. Misty had her sights set on dear ol’ mom, all because she was green with envy.
See, Misty was in love with their dad. Not in the way most people think of love,
mind you, but in a twisted, sickening way that only a murderer could understand. She
thought that her father’s abuse was just a twisted expression of his love for her.
Harley is rocked to his core as he realizes the extent of the deception that has been
going on right under his nose. Fueled by anger and confusion, he storms over to Callie’s house,
ready to confront her. But she shuts him down, reminding him that he can’t just barge into her
life whenever he pleases, especially not with her husband around. She’s not going to risk
ruining her perfect marriage for the sake of a 19-year-old who can’t keep his emotions in check.
One evening, Harley crosses paths with Amber at the supermarket. She drops the bomb that
she’s moving in with her new beau, leaving Harley reeling. But as he takes a closer look, he notices
a dark bruise on her eye and he can’t ignore the suspicion that something isn’t right. He poses the
question, does her new man hit her? And in a cruel twist of fate, he even goes so far as to ask if
she’d stay with him if he were to hit her too. Amber is taken aback, but then a glimmer of
hope sparks in her eyes. She takes Harley’s question as an invitation,
breaking off the abusive relationship with her boyfriend and taking up with Harley instead.
The morning after, Harley wakes up to a nightmare. There’s Amber, lying in his
bed like a devil in disguise. He’s horrified, but she’s not. She reaches out to touch him,
to make it all feel real, but he pushes her away. Harley stumbles out of the room, haunted by
what happened the night before. And then, Amber’s voice pierces through his thoughts,
a knife to his heart. “Callie doesn’t love you,” she sneers, “not like I do.”
Harley’s mind reels with disgust as the memory of the traumatic events resurfaces. He stumbles into
the therapist’s office, desperate for answers. With a trembling voice, Harley divulges the dark
secret he’s carried with him for years. He recalls the nights when Amber would creep into his bed,
seeking comfort as she trembled with fear of their abusive father. But Harley didn’t stop her,
he too was paralyzed by fear. The therapist listens with empathy, calmly explaining that
they were simply survivors, finding solace in each other amidst the horror they endured.
When Harley trudges back to the family abode, Misty sneers, “I heard every word of your little
spat with Amber. Newsflash, honey, we’re all cut from the same twisted cloth.” Misty coldly adds,
“Our dear old dad never loved me, not like he adored Mom. I thought if I gave him what he
wanted, he’d finally stop hitting me. Silly me.” Harley then heads out to the woods to meet with
Callie, but the reunion takes a dark turn. Harley stumbles upon Callie’s lifeless body,
a bullet hole in her chest. The fingers point to none other than his dear sister,
Amber, who was consumed with jealousy and saw Callie as a threat to her twisted
relationship with Harley. She wanted him all to herself, just like old times.
In a desperate attempt to protect the only person he’s ever truly cared for,
Harley walks into the police station and confesses to Callie’s murder. The
interrogator scoffs at his admission, but Harley remains resolute, “I did it. Send me to prison.”
Harley was initially unwilling to bear the weight of his sisters on his shoulders. He pointed
fingers at his folks for their sorry state. But as the sinister truth about the family unraveled,
Harley realized the gravity of the situation and accepted his responsibility as a protector.
He was willing to lay down his life if it meant keeping his sisters safe. Uncle Mike,
now their legal guardian, took in Judy, Misty, and Amber under his wing.
So this was the story of “Back Roads.” See you in the next hunt.