Maxine's best friend Leon is a mystery, but the snippets we get about him tell a whole hidden story
MaXXXine: Ti West explains how the film connects with X and Pearl
Ti West's new horror thriller Maxxxine, the third film in his trilogy that begins with X and Pearl, includes an odd detail that's easy to miss because no one ever notices it: The title character's best friend, Leon (Moses Sumney), has a cast on one arm. It's dirty and dirty, suggesting that his arm was broken far enough in the past that he's had plenty of time to get it signed and dirty from use, but not far enough back that it's healed. On top of that, his glasses are broken and held together with clearly placed tape. What happened to him is not part of this story – but there are hints of it on screen.
Viewers learn very little about Leon during Maxxxine, although he is clearly meant to be an important part of her life, as one particularly emotional scene suggests. Piecing together what we learn about him—especially from elements that don't quite add up unless you read between the lines—it feels like either Maxxxine had a Leon subplot that was trimmed away at some point, or West wants us to put the pieces together for to find out what is happening to him. Let's dig into the clues.
[Ed. Note: Major spoilers await for Maxxxine.]
