Prayers for Bobby - Characters & Cast

Initially, her motivation is to "save" her son's soul, which she believes is damned by his homosexuality. She is driven by a fear rooted in her religious teachings. After his death, her motivation shifts to seeking understanding and, ultimately, redemption by preventing other families from making the same mistakes.

Mary begins as the film's antagonist, a loving but dangerously misguided mother whose rigid religious beliefs cause her to reject her son. Her arc is one of profound transformation fueled by grief and guilt. After Bobby's suicide, she embarks on a painful journey of self-reflection, questioning the religious dogma she once held sacred. She evolves from a perpetrator of intolerance into a passionate and celebrated advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, demonstrating a complete reversal of her initial beliefs and actions.

Bobby's primary motivation is to gain his mother's love and acceptance. He initially tries to suppress and "cure" his homosexuality to please her. Even after leaving home, his actions are still haunted by a desire for her approval, and the lack of it is what ultimately breaks him.

Bobby's arc is a tragic one of descent. He starts as a seemingly happy teenager in a close-knit family. Upon realizing he is gay, he is thrown into a desperate struggle for acceptance from his mother. His attempts to change and his subsequent move to find freedom are constantly undermined by the internalized shame and guilt from his upbringing. His arc tragically ends in suicide, as he is unable to overcome the emotional damage of his mother's rejection.

His motivation is to keep peace within the family. He is conflict-avoidant and struggles to challenge his wife's convictions, even when he may privately disagree with her methods. His love for both his wife and son puts him in a difficult, and ultimately passive, position.

Robert, Bobby's father, is a more passive and reserved character. While he loves his son, he is largely cowed by his wife's strong personality and religious fervor. His arc shows a slow and quiet journey towards acceptance, often acting as a buffer but never directly confronting Mary's destructive behavior until it's too late. After Bobby's death, he supports Mary's transformation and joins her in her activism, finding his own way to honor their son.

His motivation is to provide support and spiritual guidance to those who have been rejected by mainstream religion. He is driven by a belief in an inclusive God and a desire to help people, like Mary, reconcile their faith with love and acceptance for their LGBTQ+ children.

Reverend Whitsell is a compassionate and understanding minister at a gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church. His role is to guide Mary after Bobby's death. He doesn't have a significant personal arc but serves as the catalyst for Mary's transformation. He challenges her rigid interpretation of scripture and introduces her to a more inclusive and loving form of Christianity.