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Characters On The Couch

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

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Joker Smile Though Your Heart Is Breaking Leads To Hate in a Traumatized Boy

JOKER
Smile Though Your
Heart Is Breaking
& Hate In A Traumatized Boy

March 27, 2020 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

Arthur Fleck is Joker. That’s the name of Todd Phillips’s 2019 film and Joaquin Phoenix’s well-deserved Best Actor Oscar-winning character. Arthur must be a Joker, a self-made stand-up comedian. He must laugh, though his heart is breaking. And, being a comedian is the best way to keep laughing. Isn’t that right …? No, he’s not …

Read moreJOKER
Smile Though Your
Heart Is Breaking
& Hate In A Traumatized Boy
the irishman martin scorcese what makes a man not feel

THE IRISHMAN
What Makes A Man Not Feel?

February 2, 2020 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

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. …

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What Makes A Man Not Feel?

NANCY MEYERS THE INTERN
Mentorship Can Go Both Ways

May 16, 2015 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

I just watched the trailer for Nancy Meyers The Intern, coming to theaters on September 25th. It looks like it’s going to be right up there with The Holiday, Something’s Gotta Give, and It’s Complicated. Nancy Meyers is a master at exploring the intricate emotions and complex difficulties that relationships bring for women and men. …

Read moreNANCY MEYERS THE INTERN
Mentorship Can Go Both Ways

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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