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Characters On The Couch

How a psychologist thinks about your favorite Film & TV characters.

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#Black Lives Matter

TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
How Do You Not Be Stopped From Speaking Out?

April 14, 2021 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

The horror of Bobby Seale’s gagging by Judge Julius Hoffman in Aaron Sorkin’s timely film, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is an image of what Black Lives Matter is fighting against. It’s an image of how being silenced provokes rage. The history and trial speak for themselves. But, as a psychoanalyst, I can talk …

Read moreTRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
How Do You Not Be Stopped From Speaking Out?
GET OUT Trauma Never Again Getting Out

GET OUT
Trauma #Never Again
& “Getting Out”

November 2, 2020 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

Jordan Peele’s brilliantly conceived film, Get Out, does its job of shattering the myth that we’re living in a post-racial America. My great uncle, Leo Hurwitz’s film, Strange Victory, did the same in 1948 after we won the war against Hitler but came home to racism here. It’s now 72 years later and there’s still …

Read moreGET OUT
Trauma #Never Again
& “Getting Out”
The Hate U Give Speaking Out

THE HATE U GIVE
Hate Yourself For Keeping Quiet?
Don’t Be Afraid Of Speaking Out

July 15, 2020 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

The world is filled with too much hate. This piece is in honor of Black Lives Matter. Dedicated to those who’ve spent their lives, like Starr Carter in The Hate U Give, having to hide, needing to code-switch to play it safe (as discussed on NPR’s Code Switch). George Tillman, Jr’s compellingly forceful film offers …

Read moreTHE HATE U GIVE
Hate Yourself For Keeping Quiet?
Don’t Be Afraid Of Speaking Out

Inspiration

“We come to Film and TV to find our hidden stories. If we look deeply into a character’s psyche, there is much to see about ourselves.”

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