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Gestures ("hints" is a bit insulting to the director, too diminutive) towards character motivations do not make a plot (in "the" movie) - noted the character development (again - "Good characters" / "human dialogue") but I'm just repeating myself. I don't know what "implications for outside plot points" are - "outside" of what, the film? Sounds like you're just throwing words around.

In the end, he made a very solid 1 hour film with interesting characters who had believable motivations (there it is again) and then tacked on a cheezy slasher/backwoods horror riff with actions based off flimsy reliance on vague references to resonant ideas that are not developed in any way, just giving the audience what he presumes they wanted (unmotivated violence) which - gasp! (for anyone under 25) could be just like the view of adult films as presented in the film! Yeah, he's a genius, pointing at that one thing and then pointing at that other (oooh, and look, here's another!). Here's a vague and fawning review from the ONION AV CLUB that seems to be saying just what you are (without all the haw-haw, juvenile, "naughty boy" antics), but just as unconvincingly - as actually constructing a story for adult audiences doesn't seem like a task worth doing when all you can do is posture a bit with "tropes" (that's what the kids are calling it nowadays, right?) and a segment of the audience will fall all over itself for you. Your positive review awaits (take crib notes):
https://www.avclub.com/ti-west-works-more-genre-manipulating-magic-with-x-1848644775