You Were Never Really Here

Joe is a troubled veteran with a penchant for violence and a knack for tracking down missing girls. For Joe, these jobs are never a pleasure, but a necessity - a way to temporarily escape the demons that haunt him. His services are often requested by the Department of Children and Families, an organization that specializes in retrieving missing children from the clutches of human traffickers and other nefarious individuals. Joe's job typically involves breaking into a suspect's house, searching for evidence, and extracting information from his captors. He does this with surgical precision and calculated violence, always looking over his shoulder for potential threats. He has a peculiar relationship with his therapist, Jean, who tries to coax out his deeper emotional scars. However, their sessions mostly devolve into Joe trying to justify his actions, rationalizing the necessity of violence in his line of work. One day, Joe is approached by Nina Varga, a high-ranking officer from the Department of Children and Families, with an unusual proposal. Her niece, Nina's sister's daughter, Sophie, has gone missing. Nina has reason to believe that Sophie was taken by a human trafficking ring, and she needs Joe's help to track her down. Joe is immediately drawn to the job, feeling a deep sense of responsibility to Sophie and a morbid curiosity about the world that drives human trafficking. Joe begins his investigation by scouring the streets for clues, often engaging in intense battles with his adversaries. However, this particular case is about to take a different turn. As Joe delves deeper into the case, he becomes increasingly entangled in a complex web of deceit and corruption. It soon becomes clear that Sophie's disappearance is more than just a simple kidnapping, but rather a calculated attempt to orchestrate a larger, more sinister plot. Joe's encounters with other characters, such as Senator Nelson and John Lennon, begin to shed light on a larger conspiracy involving powerful politicians, corrupt officials, and organized crime syndicates. It becomes evident that there are people willing to go to great lengths to cover up their involvement in these crimes, people with a lot of power and a lot to lose. As Joe's nightmares begin to resurface, his actions become increasingly reckless and erratic. He becomes trapped in a downward spiral, driven by the desire for justice and the need to confront his own trauma. His memories of Sophie, which initially serve as a motivator, eventually morph into something darker, a symbol of his own emotional pain and isolation. In a poignant moment, Joe's past and present collide as he discovers the extent of his trauma during a particularly gruesome confrontation with a victim of Sophie's captors. This moment serves as a turning point for Joe, forcing him to confront the pain he has been trying to suppress for so long. The film ultimately becomes a slow-burning build-up to a tragic confrontation. As Joe delves deeper into the heart of the conspiracy, he becomes increasingly isolated from the world around him. His relationships with Jean, Nina, and even Sophie herself begin to fray, and he finds himself facing off against forces more powerful than he had initially anticipated. In a climactic confrontation with Senator Nelson, Joe's actions are met with resistance and violence. As the stakes rise, Joe is forced to confront the darkest aspects of his own psyche, finally acknowledging his own trauma and its impact on his relationships. The film culminates with a haunting and surreal twist, suggesting that Joe's confrontation with the conspiracy may not have been the end of his journey. The title "You Were Never Really Here" becomes a commentary on Joe's own sense of reality, suggesting that his perceptions of the world and his own identity have been shaped by his trauma. As the film fades to black, the implication is clear: Joe's awakening has only just begun.