Characters on the Couch
Film & Television Blog
by Dr. Sandra Cohen
I SAW THE TV GLOW: When Sadness Can Be Just Too Much
Owen and Maddy can’t be who they are in Jane Schoenbrun‘s I Saw the TV Glow. Those reasons started in traumatic childhoods but are now inside themselves. For Owen, his dad’s control and lack of acceptance. He doesn’t even try to “get” Owen. If Owen expresses interest, like in the Pink Opaque, he humiliates him:…
SORRY, BABY: “Not Thinking About It,” Trauma Triggers, & What Heals
Something bad happened to Agnes in Eva Victor’s, Sorry, Baby. Yes, Sexual assault is bad. And, Agnes has the typical trauma responses: thinking and not thinking about it, confusion, disorientation, depression, and hyperalert distrust. Yet, watching this film as a psychoanalyst who treats trauma, I have to say that something bad also happened to Agnes…
BEAU IS AFRAID: He Lives in a Constant Reel of Dissociated (Terrifying) Feelings
Beau is Afraid in Ari Aster‘s psychologically complex horror film. He has good reasons to be afraid. Beau has a (very) scary mom. He’s frightened of making the “wrong” move or saying the “wrong” thing. He lives in a constant reel of dissociated (terrifying) feelings. Mostly, his rage. Beau has no choice but to project…
