Mystic River

Three men who grew up together in a Boston neighbourhood are reunited when the daughter of one is murdered. Jimmy, the grieving father, wants his own justice; Sean investigates the killing as a detective; and Dave, who as a boy was abducted and abused, falls under suspicion, his old wound now impossible to keep hidden. Misreading and suspicion drive the three toward a tragic mistake.

The film traces how a childhood violation returns decades later as dissociation and misrecognition, and how a community's need to assign blame can compound loss. It gives a therapist a study of unmourned trauma, its long reach, and the grief of a murdered child. It was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama in 2004 and is based on the novel Mystic River by Dennis Lehane.