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Characters On The Couch

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

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Pretty Woman 3 Things A Loving Relationship Requires

PRETTY WOMAN
3 Things
A Loving Relationship Requires

March 27, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

On the 25th Anniversary of Pretty Woman’s release, the question for some still remains. Does Pretty Women take the seriousness of prostitution and the misuse of vulnerable women too lightly? Or is there more to the film than that? As a psychoanalyst who just re-watched this spirited and poignant film, I think there’s more. Sexual exploitation is …

Read morePRETTY WOMAN
3 Things
A Loving Relationship Requires
Pretty Woman: Still Controversy After 25 Years

PRETTY WOMAN
Still Controversy After 25 Years

March 24, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

Does the film that launched Julia Roberts’ stardom insensitively overlook sexual exploitation? Or is it a romantic comedy that features one man’s fantasy? The jury is still out. Such serious issues as prostitution and sex trafficking are hardly comedic. (See my post on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Reactions have resurfaced from many camps with the celebration …

Read morePRETTY WOMAN
Still Controversy After 25 Years
August: Osage County Can a Child Survive a Mother's Hate?

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Is A Mother’s Hate Survivable?

July 31, 2014 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

 A mother’s hate inflicts the worst kind of suffering. There’s not one child among the main characters in August: Osage County who escapes. Not Violet, not Mattie Faye, not Barbara, Karen, Ivey, or even little Charles. Most of the film’s immediate suffering is at the hands of Violet Westin, the cruel matriarch of the Westin family. …

Read moreAUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Is A Mother’s Hate Survivable?

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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