Characters on the Couch
Film & Television Blog
by Dr. Sandra Cohen
WEAPONS: Being Under the Spell of a Narcissistic Abuser
I know, I know. Aunt Gladys is supposed to be a witch in Zach Cregger’s new film, Weapons. But I have to say: What better example of a gaslighting narcissistic abuser could we possibly find? As well as the devastating effects when you’re caught in that horrible situation. Aunt Gladys will use and misuse anyone…
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…
