You Were Never Really Here

Audience emotional responses are dominated by intense Anxiety and a pervasive sense of the Disturbing, reflecting Joe's disoriented reality, violent mission, and the unsettling nature of the child trafficking plot. Deep Sadness and Empathy are evoked by Joe's traumatic past and his desperate, often futile, attempts to find redemption. Fear and Anger stem from the brutal violence and the depravity of the antagonists. Anticipation is present as viewers follow Joe's unpredictable and dangerous journey, while Confusion is a key emotional response due to the film's non-linear narrative and Joe's hallucinatory experiences, blurring the lines between reality and dream.