Boundaries is a family drama that deals with the classic dysfunctional family dynamics and every member coming to terms with each other as reality hits them. This is the story of a daughter who is trying to keep a safe distance from her father, who was absent during her childhood days. They end up on a journey that could either make them closer as a father and daughter or lead to their relationship falling apart. Several films in this category help people understand that families aren’t perfect. The Descendants, Knives Out, Little Miss Sunshine, and Kramer vs. Kramer are some examples of family dramas dealing with dysfunctionality as a core subject.
Spoilers Ahead
What Does Laura Do For A Living?
Laura is a single mother living in a house full of injured and rescue animals she brings in out of pure sympathy. The presence of such animals makes it difficult for her to have a healthy dating life. Henry, her only son, is socially awkward and spends most of his time painting nude and lewd pictures of people, which essentially offends a lot of adults. Laura works as an executive assistant to her friend Sofia, who runs a small hotel in the same town. Laura is supposed to make plans for Sofia’s daughter’s birthday dinner. Laura has a good friend, Sergie, a chef at the same place of work, and he helps take care of her rescue animals. Laura is struggling financially because she plans to move her son to a private school in the hope of him not being alienated or bullied. Sadly, Henry is expelled from school because of the naked art he drew of his teacher. Laura is on the cusp of finalizing what could be done to make sure her son graduates from school.
Why Was She Ignoring Jack, Her Father?
Laura’s father had been living in a retirement home, and he had been ringing her up constantly for a few days straight. As a part of forming a boundary between herself and her father, whom she considers selfish, Laura chooses to ignore the calls. She did not want to play any part in his shenanigans anymore. There is a history of abandonment and estrangement that she did not intend to talk about, and not wanting to open Pandora’s box was her way of dealing with the matter. Laura talks in her therapy about finally creating a distance between him and herself, and her therapist agrees with her decision. Laura is hoping dodging his calls will send a message to her father.
Why Was Jack Kicked Out Of The Retirement Home?
Jack had been expelled from the retirement home because he’d committed a felony. He was calling to inform Laura about his predicament. Jack and Laura eventually converted to understand the gravity of the situation. Since both daughter and father are in some kind of trouble, they offer to help each other out. Jack would financially help his daughter get Henry through private school, provided she helped him out as well. A deal was made, and Laura arranged for her father to fly to Los Angeles to live with her sister, Jojo. Jack divulges only to Henry the reason behind his removal. Jack grew countless marijuana plants inside the retirement home, which is a crime. He not only grew it, but he also happened to have become a supplier, which angered the people running the retirement home. He plans to take it with them and requests Henry to remain quiet as he considers making his grandson a partner in his business. Henry was intrigued by his grandfather’s proposal and agreed to it.
Why Did They Decide To Take A Road Trip To Los Angeles?
Jack had a Rolls Royce and decided the family would take a road trip to Los Angeles instead of taking the flight, which ruined Laura’s plans. She was not keen on taking a three-day road trip, fearing subjects would come up that would upset her. She was trying to maintain the boundary she formed, but Jack was the disruptor who confessed to wanting to spend time with his family after revealing the news of his relapsing prostate cancer. This forces Laura to change her work plans and help her father make memories with her and Henry. Sergei, her friend, offered to take care of her animals in exchange for a date with him after the trip. Laura happily accepts the offer as all three commence their journey.
Why Do They Make Pit Stops?
They make pit stops at several places, including her father’s old friend and his autistic son, Jed’s place. The whole point of this trip was to sell marijuana to his friend and other customers and make enough money on the trip. Henry was aware of the plan, but Laura was kept away from it. Laura, on reaching her father’s friend’s home, was ecstatic to watch Jack being extra careful and patient with Jed. This helped her gradually change her mind about him by giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Laura was aware of her father’s misdemeanors, and she would not want to get into any problems. She wants to make sure Henry remains safe and can get through private school without any law-and-order issues bothering them. They also make a pit stop at Laura’s ex-husband’s home, who was one of the largest buyers of Jack’s marijuana. This forces Laura to face a man she detests. Henry was keen to meet his father.
Laura soon understood that her ex is a terrible person who is unwilling to bear the cost of Henry’s school expenses, citing that he is not reliable. He reveals that he’s remarried, which further angers Laura, and she leaves his home. Jack, in retaliation, hurt the man, who was not reliable. Leonard, Laura’s ex-husband, in a fit of anger, reveals the actual work Jack does for a living, which causes Laura to have a meltdown in the middle of the road. The meltdown attracts the attention of a local cop, but they barely escape arrest. Jack admits to his unorthodox scheme for making money for Henry’s education and wants to do the right job because he regrets not being there for Laura and Jojo. Jack also encourages his grandson to pursue art if that piques his interest.
What Happens Upon Their Reaching Los Angeles?
Laura and Henry are happy to have reached Los Angeles. Coming together as a father, daughter, and grandson is a picture-perfect mini-reunion after many years. Laura’s father is slowly changing, and she is willing to accept the fact that maybe her father is trying to do the right thing by spending time with them. Jack, on the other hand, is happy to be with family, something he has not experienced in a while. Even though Henry had claimed his mother wanted Jack to stay with them, the father was overwhelmed by the idea of having everyone around. Jack assumes his life will be sorted out while living with his other daughter. His overwhelming feeling of being a disappointment overpowers his good judgment. Jack believes he would relapse and make the same mistakes. He walks away from his family one night in the hope of never coming back and not wanting to disappoint them. By walking away, Jack proved his family right. As a father, he could have attempted to make amends and adhered to the expectations Laura, Jojo, and Henry had from him. All of them wake up to the awful news, which puts everybody in a sorrowful mood. There was an ounce of belief that this incident would never happen, but it did.
Does Jack Come Back For His Daughter Laura And Grandson Henry?
The good news for Laura and Henry is that Jack left behind the money earned from selling marijuana for Henry’s education. Jack was considerate enough to leave behind a stack of cold hard cash. Jack turned out to be a lot more empathetic than everyone perceived him to be. Laura could now sympathize with her father because she was hoping for him to come back. Laura may have wanted to apologize for keeping distance, but it was too late. Laura may have slowly understood why Jack wanted to stay away from the family. He was afraid of becoming a bad father once again, as described by his daughter. He did not intend to freak out and leave, but he ended up doing so anyway without understanding the consequences of it.
Henry had gotten closer to his grandfather, and he was the most affected by his leaving. Henry felt Jack was the first person to treat and speak to him as an equal. His mother, friends, and peers at school always treated him differently because of his introverted nature. Henry was upset at his grandfather’s leaving, but he would probably get over it. He had gotten used to not having a father figure, even though there was hope Jack could become his buddy, unlike his father, who gave up before trying.
Boundaries ends with Jack and his friend pranking Laura and Henry by pretending to be FBI officers and knocking loudly on their doors. Laura was panicking and was under the impression that her father had accidentally left some stash in their luggage. She was shocked to find her father at the doorstep, who was back with the only intention of living with her and Henry. Laura and Henry were extremely elated because they were proven wrong. Jack intended to spend time with his daughter and be the father figure to Henry, which he never had. Jack also wanted to spend the remainder of his life being a father to Laura and create a non-existent bond.
The idea of having Jack around freaked Laura out, but she was willing to give him a chance instead of worrying about his habit of abandoning the family. Families are always tricky groups, and a lot of trust issues come from what a young child faces from a younger age, and it becomes a part of the personality growing up. Laura was willing to give him a chance, unlike last time. Laura and Henry wake up the next day to see Jack preparing breakfast for them, one of his many steps to bring his family back together. Laura finally let go of the boundary and allowed Jack to enter her life.
