The Little Things... or Were They the Big Clues All Along?

I don’t know exactly when the idea got stuck in my head. Maybe it was halfway through the film, maybe it was right at the end. But when I finished watching The Little Things on Netflix (also known in some places as Pequeños Secretos), I couldn’t shake off this strange theory. What if Denzel Washington’s character, Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon, wasn’t just a broken man chasing ghosts… what if he was the real killer all along?

Yeah, I know. That’s a heavy accusation. But hear me out.

This film isn’t your typical crime thriller. It’s not about the flashy action or dramatic courtroom showdowns. It’s slow, almost hypnotic, and full of silences, shadows, and doubts. And maybe that’s why it got under my skin. It made me feel something off. Something unsettling. Not because of what it shows, but because of what it doesn’t show.

Let’s start with Deke. From the very beginning, he looks like a man dragging the weight of his past behind him like a chain. He doesn’t smile. He doesn’t relax. He doesn’t even really look people in the eye. There’s guilt in his every move. Not the guilt of a man who made a mistake. The guilt of someone hiding a much darker truth.

Early in the movie, we find out that Deke was once a top detective, until a case went wrong and he had what they call a "mental breakdown." But things don’t add up. He talks about accidentally shooting a young forensic woman during a past case. Says it like he's reading a grocery list. No emotion. No remorse. Just facts. And the sheriff’s department? They covered it up. Just gave him a quiet exit. That alone should tell you this man has skeletons in his closet. Real ones.

And then comes the new investigation. A series of murders that bear a strange resemblance to the one that ruined Deke years ago. Coincidence? Maybe. But maybe not. Because instead of just helping out, Deke inserts himself into the case. He pushes, he pokes, he manipulates. He becomes obsessed with Albert Sparma, the oddball played by Jared Leto, who just happens to be the perfect scapegoat. Too perfect.

Sparma looks guilty, acts guilty, but something about him feels staged. He’s practically asking to be arrested. And Deke pushes young detective Baxter (Rami Malek) straight toward him, feeding his suspicions, nudging him to the edge. Almost like he wants Baxter to pull the trigger, literally and metaphorically. And in the end, he does.

Baxter kills Sparma, and just like that, Deke steps in to clean up the mess. Helps him bury the body. Gives him a red barrette to convince him that Sparma was guilty after all. A red barrette that looks brand new, by the way. 

Baxter breathes a sigh of relief, and Deke? He disappears again, a little lighter.

But for me, that barrette was the final straw. It was a lie. A sweet, comforting lie. And Deke gave it to him not to help, but to trap him in the same hell he’s been living in. Misery loves company, right?

So here’s where my wild theory kicks in.

What if Deke wasn’t there to help solve the murders, but to erase any trail that could lead back to him? What if years ago he snapped, killed that girl — not by accident — and got away with it? And now, seeing someone else about to connect the dots, he returns to make sure it never happens? Maybe Sparma was innocent. Maybe there never was a serial killer. Maybe the only consistent detail in all those cases… was Deke.

It would explain his obsession, his breakdown, his silence, his pain. It would also explain the ending. Because the movie doesn’t wrap things up. It doesn’t give us justice. It gives us silence, shadows, and lies. And that’s exactly how a killer would want to leave things.

I know, it’s just a theory. But that’s the beauty of The Little Things. It doesn’t tell you what to think. It lets you spiral down your own rabbit hole. It doesn’t scream “plot twist” in your face. It whispers it in the dark.

And maybe that’s why I liked it so much. Because it made me uncomfortable. It made me doubt what I saw. It made me think. And in a world of predictable endings and heroes who never miss, that’s a rare thing.

Maybe Deke was just a broken man trying to do the right thing. Or maybe… he did all the wrong things and got away with it.

In the end, it’s all about the little things. And sometimes, those are the ones that reveal the darkest truths.