Characters on the Couch
Film & Television Blog
by Dr. Sandra Cohen
1917
The Trauma Of War
How Love & Friendship Matter
We see the trauma. And, we witness the friendship and love. I’m talking about Sam Mendes’s more-than-war film, 1917. I’m also talking about a different kind of war that all of us are fighting now. A war with an invisible virus. COVID-19. And, just as in 1917, it’s love for each other; our fellow warriors…
JOJO RABBIT
Why A Boy Needs Adolf Hitler
As His Imaginary Friend
When you’re a scared little boy in the middle of a war and your father’s missing, Adolf Hitler can become your best friend. That is, in your mind at least. And, why not? He’s the man with the most power in all of Germany. What better friend to help you stand up to your fears?…
THE IRISHMAN
What Makes A Man Not Feel?
Does Frank Sheeran really have no conscience? How can a man kill with no compunction – and not feel anything? In Martin Scorsese’s engagingly (and not too long), fictionalized film, The Irishman, we watch Frank as he moves up the ladder of The International Brotherhood of Teamsters. With just a little help from his friends.…
