Guilt and shame are two of the hardest roommates to live with. They almost seem like a marriage in some regards. One reminds you of the worst thing you’ve ever done while the other keeps you imprisoned to that fact. How do you live with something like that? Sure, you can go about your daily routine, but what is the price of sacrificing your mental health in the process? When is enough going to be enough? Eventually you find yourself at a crossroads where you have to either live with the terrible acts that you have manifested or leave to grow from it.

It’s one of the hardest roads to stand in the middle of. Pain is inevitable. You’re either going to hurt someone else for what you’ve done or continue to hurt enough yourself. Eventually, the human body gives way under such duress. We weren’t made to carry such burdens. I can speak from personal experiences: it’s never worth the energy to keep yourself in the closest of shame. Sometimes in the end you go through all the weight of carrying such burdens and still end up hurting the other person along with yourself. It’s not worth it. Value and cherish your mental health. Dare to be vulnerable.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice a relationship or two, but your mental health will thank you. Sacrifice is sometimes crucial to our mental health. It’s a lesson that Denzel Washington learns in his new movie, The Little Things. Washington plays a cop who gets entangled in an active murder investigation in hopes of atoning for his own past. The portion of Washington’s past is explored throughout a subplot. It helps add an additional layer to the mystery of Little Things. You have the ongoing investigation while simultaneously Washington’s past. It helps to keep the film lively while also allowing Washington’s performance to come across as layered. He gives a sympathetic yet charming performance as a recovering detective.

I wish I could say the same for Washington’s co-stars. Rami Malek plays the lead detective who is overseeing the investigation. Malek is perhaps the most puzzling portion of Little Things. Throughout the film he is either underacting or overacting to everything that takes place around him. Somewhere in the midst of that acting decision he lacks the actual conviction to portray a believable detective. His performance just feels like someone stumbled into the cop and they’re just hoping for the best, that no one will find out that they are playing make believe.

Jared Leto plays the primary suspect in the movie. It’s an odd take on the serial killer archetype but Leto makes it work. His outlandish performance stands out as one of the film’s best performances. However his character is problematic for the movie. I honestly don’t want to spoil anything but his presence actually devalues the movie immensely. The film’s entire third act equally just kind of leaves the train station. It’s almost as if the character’s motivations switch. It’s a strange narrative choice but it’s not out of character for this movie.

There are quite a number of strange decisions this movie makes. There are times when the score by Thomas Newman comes across as whimsical. It’s almost as if the film forgets we’re attempting to catch a murderer. It’s puzzling to say the least. Washington seems to be the only character that is truly developed. Everyone else just feels like archetypes of police procedurals. It’s almost as if writer-director John Lee Hancock features Malek or Leto because we watched one too many episodes of Law and Order. They’re nothing more than hollow characters. At the very least, Leto made the character his own. He completely disappears into the role, giving the character gravity in almost every facet imaginable, even down to the way he walks.

Overall, The Little Things is exactly that. It’s another police procedural that does not have a whole lot to boast. Jared Leto and Denzel Washington would be the major exceptions to this. Little Things isn’t bad, it's just average. There are some puzzling things to it. They range everything from Rami Malek to the score and character motivations. If it’s The Little Things that get you caught, someone arrest this movie.

RORSHACH RATING:

Mental Health Moment: As I said at the beginning of the review, guilt can bury you. Shame can be your tombstone. Perhaps one of the strongest things about this movie is Washington’s arc and how he is processing the sins of the past. For him, this case means redemption. For some of you reading this right now, chances are it’s probably something different. In the same vein as the stigma around mental health, there are many of us who lack the conviction to come to grips with our ghosts. We’d rather live with them.

Perhaps one of the most moving scenes in The Little Things comes from Washington looking at his own skeletons and simply weeping. He sacrificed so much to keep it buried. It cost him his career, marriage, and nearly his life. How much have you sacrificed for your secrets? How much more are you willing to sacrifice? I don’t want to condemn anyone for their choices. I have, and have had, my equal share of them. Sometimes it takes me days before I actively confront them and have those hard conversations. I get just as scared. I’ve learned that it’s not worth the damage to your mental health. If you need anyone to talk to, please consider our resources.

If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!

Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The Little Things is property of Warner Brothers Pictures. We do not own nor claim any rights.

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