Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage

Year: 1999

Runtime: 95 mins

Language: English

DramaThrillerMystery

When a father and his two sons set out on a holiday hoping to mend their strained relationships, their getaway is shattered by the sudden appearance of two escaped convicts. As hidden secrets surface, the three men must set aside their differences and cooperate if they are to survive the dangerous confrontation.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Rites of Passage (1999)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Rites of Passage (1999). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Family Cabin by the Lake

The action centers around a remote lakeside cabin where a family reunion unfolds under the threat of two escaped convicts. The cabin's isolation fuels paranoia and heightens the stakes as past betrayals surface. The setting becomes a crucible where loyalties are tested and safety is compromised.

🏞️ Lakeside cabin 🏚️ Isolated setting 🕰️ Domestic tension

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:37

Main Characters – Rites of Passage (1999)

Meet the key characters of Rites of Passage (1999), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Frank Dabbo (James Remar)

The elder of the escaped convicts, Frank exerts control through intimidation and seeks to dominate the household. He treats the cabin as a stage for a power struggle, pressing Del and D.J. to submit. His relentless, manipulative presence catalyzes the mounting danger and ultimately drives the intruders toward their violent peak.

🔒 Intruder 🧱 Aggressive ⚔️ Power player

Red Tenney (Jaimz Woolvett)

Frank's adult son, Red arrives as a layered threat—charming on the surface yet calculating and volatile underneath. He uses hospitality as a lure to remain inside the cabin, complicating the family dynamics and amplifying the risk. His unpredictability and willingness to escalate conflict heighten the film's tension.

🎭 Charismatic 🔥 Dangerous 🗝️ Power move

D.J. Farraday (Robert Glen Keith)

D.J. is the Farraday son who confronts his father about the affair and seeks a path toward reconciliation. He tries to keep the family from fracturing, yet is drawn into the intruders' volatile atmosphere. His presence serves as a moral gauge for the family’s capacity to face truth and repair, even under threat.

🧭 Mediator 💬 Confrontational 🗡️ Tension

Del Farraday (Dean Stockwell)

Del is the father who faced an affair and the anger it stirs within his son and the family. He reacts with defensiveness and pride, struggling to maintain control as the situation spirals. His past actions become a focal point for guilt, blame, and the possibility of redemption in the crisis.

🕊️ Guilt 🛡️ Defiant 🧭 Patriarch

Campbell 'Cam' Farraday (Jason Behr)

Cam is the younger Farraday son who has a secret relationship with Billy. He knows the convicts and is torn between family loyalty and his own desires. Cam's knowledge and responses to the intruders shape the tragedy, and his sense of guilt over Billy’s death drives his actions and interpretations of loyalty.

💞 Young love 🕵️‍♂️ Secretive 🧩 Loyalties

Billy (Andrew Cooper)

Billy is Cam's boyfriend whose death becomes the catalyst for the family's reckoning. His relationship with Cam adds emotional depth to the family’s fractures and intensifies the stakes of the confrontation. Billy's absence haunts the survivors and reframes their decisions in the final acts.

💔 Lost love 🧭 Catalyst 🚦 Tragic

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:37

Major Themes – Rites of Passage (1999)

Explore the central themes of Rites of Passage (1999), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚖️ Family Ties

The film tests the limits of family loyalty when a father and his son confront infidelity and resentments. Old wounds resurface as truth and blame collide with the malevolent intrusion of the convicts. Reconciliation emerges only when characters choose honesty over self-preservation. The crisis forces a painful reckoning about responsibility, forgiveness, and what a family owes to one another.

🔪 Threat and Control

The presence of Frank and Red turns the house into a pressure cooker, where intimidation and violence loom just off-screen. Power dynamics shift as the intruders demand submission while exploiting buried guilt. The line between protector and aggressor blurs, exposing the fragility of illusionary control. In the end, force yields to moral choices, with tragic consequences.

💔 Hidden Bonds

Cam's romantic history with Billy adds a layer of secrecy that haunts the Farradays. Billy's death tightens the bond of guilt around Cam and reframes family loyalty as a contested terrain. The tension between desire and duty exposes how love can be both a refuge and a liability. The film uses this relationship to explore how memory and grief shape behavior under pressure.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:37

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Rites of Passage Summary

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Rites of Passage Summary

Rites of Passage Timeline

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Rites of Passage Timeline

Rites of Passage Spoiler-Free Summary

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Rites of Passage Spoiler-Free Summary

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