Characters on the Couch
Film & Television Blog
by Dr. Sandra Cohen
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Phil Burbank’s Cruelty
What He Hates in Himself
Jane Campion’s chilling new film, The Power of the Dog, has much to say about the adage that what we hate in others is what we can’t accept in ourselves. And, wow, does the character of Phil Burbank spell that axiom out in spades. Sure, he embodies everything there is about toxic masculinity. Yet, what…
CODA
You’re Entitled to Your Own Life
(Even If Someone Needs You)
CODA, written and directed by Sian Heder, is a beautiful, heartwarming coming-of-age film with a happy ending. Not all difficult stories about trying to have your own life in the face of someone who needs you (read: your parents) end with so much understanding, acceptance, and support. It’s hard to break away and be yourself…
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Trauma Driven Obsession
It’s Not Healing
Emerald Fennell’s brilliantly disturbing and evocative film, Promising Young Woman, shows us one troubling aftermath of trauma. And, it’s all because no one helped. Cassie lost her very best friend (and only true soulmate) to suicide. Why? Because Nina couldn’t go on after a violent and repeated gang rape that seriously traumatized her. And, no…
