Summary

• Sparma's guilt is never confirmed in The Little Things, with circumstantial evidence being inconclusive at best.
• Sparma's past false confessions hint at his obsession with attention, raising doubts about both his innocence and his guilt.
• Sparma's behavior during the investigation suggests manipulation rather than guilt, leaving his true intent unclear.

The Little Things is a 2021 neo-noir thriller that takes some unexpected steps in exploring the murder mystery, leaving it unconfirmed who the killer really was by the time the credits rolled. When a killer terrorizes the streets of Los Angeles, detectives Joe Deacon (Denzel Washington) and Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) begin their hunt. They quickly narrow their suspect list to Albert Sparma (Jared Leto). However, as the film progresses and the bodies begin to pile up, the investigation takes a murkier turn leaving it unknown if Sparma was the killer they were after.

Baxter and Sparma are both convinced of Sparma’s guilt and the man's increasingly bizarre behavior only adds to their suspicions. The The Little Things finds Baxter increasingly obsessed and frustrated with proving Sparma's guilt, which leads him to kill Sparma in a fit of anger without really knowing if he was guilty or not. Deacon helps to cover up the crime while also trying to help convince Baxter that they had the right man, but there are a lot of clues suggesting Sparma wasn't the killer after all.

The Little Things is available to stream on Max.

There Was No Concrete Evidence Against Sparma

Circumstantial Evidence Against Sparma Is Not As Damning As It Seems

On the surface, Sparma seemed like a great suspect, but while there were clues that led Deacon to Sparma, they were circumstantial at best. When investigating the murder of Julie Brock, the detectives decide that the killer had to have known the victim to some capacity and decide that it could have been a repairman who visited her home. This is where they first begin to suspect Sparma as one of the potential repairmen. They also conclude that the killer needed an inconspicuous vehicle with a lot of trunk space, which fits the description of Sparma's vehicle.

In the end, none of the circumstantial evidence is as much of a smoking gun as it initially seems.

When Deacon becomes convinced enough by Sparma's guilt to break into his apartment, he finds even more compelling evidence to suggest this is the killer, including roast beef and Busch Light beer, both of which have been linked to the crime scene. Sparma also has various news clippings of the murder case in his apartment. However, as damning as some of the evidence is, the hard evidence doesn't come so easily. Both a partial fingerprint and bite marks from the killer are found but prove to be inconclusive matches to Sparma.

In the end, none of the circumstantial evidence is as much of a smoking gun as it initially seems. Sparma has common food and beer items in his fridge and drives a car that is fitting for most repairmen. As for the news clippings, there are likely a lot of people living in the area of the murder who took a morbid interest in it. However, none of it is the evidence the detectives need.

Sparma's Past False Confession Explains His Suspicious Behavior

Sparma Has Implicated Himself In Past Cases For Attention

Halfway through the investigation, Detective Jamie Estrada (Natalie Morales) informs Baxter that Sparma had been embroiled in a false confession to murder in the past. This paints Sparma in a completely new light, as it is indicative of the fact that he is a true-crime fanatic to the point of implicating himself for attention. This obsession with serial killing on Sparma’s part is understandably baffling for both Deacon and Baxter, as it is difficult to understand whether Sparma’s behavior is simply creepy-but-harmless, or a precursor to meditated killings of his own in the future.

Moreover, Sparma’s suspicious behavior could be attributed to the fact that he holds an innate understanding of the true killer’s psychology, and simply mimics certain aspects to attract the officers’ attention to him, only to baffle and evade them in a twisted game of cat-and-mouse.

Sparma Didn't Kill Baxter When He Had the Chance

The Real Killer Would Have Taken The Opportunity To Get Rid Of The Man Pursuing Him

When Sparma corners Baxter by taunting him about the whereabouts of Ronda Rathbun in The Little Things, the audience is temporarily under the impression that Sparma is going to kill Baxter after luring him away. However, these latent expectations are constantly subverted, as it becomes clear that Sparma is not interested in killing Baxter, but simply derives obscene pleasure in preying upon the latter’s desperation to catch the killer.

If Sparma was indeed the killer in The Little Things, it would make sense for him to lure Baxter to a deserted area and then kill him once and for all. However, this is not the case, as Sparma is not only unarmed but also does not attempt to take Baxter by surprise when he has his back turned to him. Hence, the reason why Sparma chooses to lure Baxter away is to simply indulge in a twisted game of make-believe, and taunt him to the point of no return.

Deacon Does Not Find the Red Barrette at Sparma's Apartment

A Key Piece Of Evidence Had To Be Faked

A seminal clue in The Little Things that might have potentially tied Ronda Rathbun to Sparma is the red barrette she was wearing prior to her disappearance. However, after Baxter accidentally kills Sparma, Deacon scours his apartment for evidence but fails to find any. In order to alleviate Baxter’s surmounting guilt, Deacon buys a red barrette and sends it to Baxter, implying that Sparma was, in fact, the killer in question.

As this is not the case, the red barrette acts as a red herring for Baxter, emerging as a symbol of guilt and the systematic evasion of criminal justice. Interestingly, this led some to suspect Deacon was The Little Things' true killer.

Sparma's Police Scanner Explains How He Knew the Mile Marker

This Speaks To Sparma's True-Crime Fascination

One of the most suspicious activities carried out by Sparma in The Little Things is when Deacon tails his vehicle and finds out that he has parked his car at the exact mile marker, namely 146, near the highway where the bodies of the victims were found. This particular detail was not known to the public but only revealed over police radio.

When Deacon finds Sparma’s vehicle parked there, he immediately assumes he is the killer, and understandably so.

When Deacon finds Sparma’s vehicle parked there, he immediately assumes he is the killer, and understandably so. However, it becomes clear later that Sparma knew about the exact mile marker owing to the fact that he had a police scanner, which allowed him to stay up-to-date regarding key crime scene details and case-related leads.

Is Sparma Actually Innocent?

Sparma May Not Be The Killer, But May Still Be Dangerous

While The Little Things' crime story does not reveal the true identity of the killer, it does make it clear that Sparma was not the killer. However, whether he was completely innocent is a whole other matter altogether, as his psychological state showed signs of mania when he was presented with the post-mortem photographs of the dead women.

It is entirely possible that Sparma could have gone on to commit an actual crime sometime in the future, having surveyed the patterns of an actual killer and the failings of the justice system. However, as there is no concrete evidence regarding Sparma’s culpability by the time The Little Things concludes, he remains innocent in the eyes of the law, making his murder a gross cover-up in a high-stakes murder investigation.