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Characters on the Couch
Film & Television Blog

by Dr. Sandra Cohen

EMILIA PEREZ: Change Isn’t Trying to Make Your Old Self Disappear

Being who you are is the most important thing in the world. That often means change. But change isn’t about trying to make your old self disappear. Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez clearly shows how and why that doesn’t work. Going from one kind of hiding to another is never the answer. There are reasons for…

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ANORA: Running From Pain

Pain. We see that in Anora, Sean Baker’s raw and brutally poignant new film. Pain. Although Ani, the film’s main character does her best to hide her feelings, mostly from herself, no one becomes addicted to sex (or drugs or alcohol) if they aren’t trying to escape unbearable pain. Ani and Vanya don’t want to…

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WOMAN OF THE HOUR: Seeing (Or Not Seeing) Red Flags

Who will hurt you the most? That’s the hidden question in Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour.  And, as a woman, how do you tell? It’s by seeing (or not seeing) red flags. Sometimes, you can’t see them when you’re lonely or hungry for attention and love. Other times, when you have reasons not to…

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