Sling Blade
1996 · 135 min · Director: Billy Bob Thornton
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
A partially handicapped man named Karl is released from a mental hospital, about 20 years after murdering his mother and another person. Karl is often questioned if he will ever kill again, and he shrugs in response saying there is no reason to. Now out of the mental institution, Karl settles in his old, small hometown, occupying himself by fixing motors. After meeting a young boy named Frank, who befriends him, Karl is invited to stay at Frank's house with his mother Linda, who views Karl as a strange but kind and generous man. However, Linda's abusive boyfriend, Doyle, sees things differently in the way rules ought to be run- normally insulting Linda's homosexual friend Vaughan as well as Karl's disabilities, and having wild parties with his friends. As Karl's relationship with Frank grows, he is watchful of Doyle's cruel actions.
Emotional fingerprint
Sling Blade (1996) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Melancholy 25%, Anxiety 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Empathy30%
- Melancholy25%
- Anxiety20%
- Love15%
- Relief10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Melancholy, Anxiety. Genres: Drama. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Melancholy and Anxiety. Its IMDb rating of 8.0/10 suggests a strong audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 74/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Disturbing
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Disturbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Humor | 40 % | 22 % | 15 % | 22 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 10′ | Empathy | 50 % | 34 % | 26 % | 38 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 17′ | Disturbing | 57 % | 41 % | 32 % | 43 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 24′ | Empathy | 51 % | 43 % | 28 % | 21 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 30′ | Humor | 44 % | 40 % | 19 % | 8 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Humor | 51 % | 46 % | 29 % | 15 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 44′ | Sadness | 63 % | 56 % | 45 % | 28 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Empathy | 61 % | 55 % | 41 % | 29 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Empathy | 57 % | 45 % | 29 % | 23 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 64′ | Humor | 63 % | 35 % | 20 % | 28 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Tension | 65 % | 39 % | 19 % | 33 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Empathy | 56 % | 45 % | 16 % | 18 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Empathy | 57 % | 50 % | 25 % | 21 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 91′ | Disturbing | 65 % | 55 % | 41 % | 40 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 98′ | Empathy | 65 % | 56 % | 48 % | 38 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 105′ | Sadness | 73 % | 65 % | 59 % | 41 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 111′ | Empathy | 81 % | 76 % | 65 % | 43 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 118′ | Empathy | 84 % | 69 % | 56 % | 44 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 125′ | Disturbing | 80 % | 50 % | 49 % | 55 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 132′ | Sadness | 70 % | 45 % | 50 % | 48 % |
Icarus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Sling Blade. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Melinda
Marsha Dwiggins
Theresa Evans
Melvin
Morris
Terence
Randy Horsefeathers
Mrs. Woolridge
Bubba Woolridge
Details
- Directed by
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Written by
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1996
- Runtime
- 135 min
- Country
- United States
- Genres
- Drama
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Empathy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Feels similar
More like this →Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.
