ho said cinema was running running out of ideas? I've just discovered new short The Strange Thing About The Johnsons, which has a plot device that made my eyes pop out.
From the website:
The Johnsons are an attractive, well-to-do, upper-middle class family. Sidney, husband and father, is a famous poet, known and adored for his kindness and sensitivity. Joan, wife and mother, is a dutiful housewife, an obsessive homemaker and the life of every party. Their son, Isaiah, is a charismatic young man who has just gotten married to an equally appealing young woman. In fact, there is only one thing that separates the Johnsons from their charming friends and neighbours: Isaiah, the son, has been molesting Sidney, the father, since he was fifteen years old. And what's more, Sidney has written a memoir that chronicles, in great detail, the ins-and-outs of this unseemly father-son relationship. 'The Strange Thing About The Johnsons' is a dark satire of the domestic melodrama, which asks "What if...?" and then for some reason comes up with an answer.
Fascinating - and kudos to filmmaker Ari Aster for thinking outside the box. Is the film as good as the brilliant one-sheet, above? You decide:
NOWAY!!!! JBx
ReplyDeleteI am going to watch this when I get home.
ReplyDeleteTotally shocking!
ReplyDeleteUm, then there's this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imdb.com/keyword/child-molestation/?title_type=feature
But, you're right. It's not a theme that's been explored to full effect within the black community where it is far more common than one might be willing to admit.
@MOC - Thanks for sharing that delightful list. It's really cheered me up :-/
ReplyDeletelol...
But seriously - this is parent molestation, rather than child molestation - not something I'd even heard of before. But maybe I'm sheltered.
This movie was very disturbing, in a good way. I am really glad to see that there are filmmakers out there willing to step outside of the proverbial box and make us uncomfortable...
ReplyDeleteThis was like a reverse Oedipus complex until it turned into a slasher movie near the end.
My theory is that the father was probably sexually abused as a small child and repressed the memory, completely. That was probably the only reason the son could take complete control of him in such a manner.
Wow...
ReplyDeleteIt was a great watch right up until the end. Completely ruined it for me as I burst out laughing when it went into 20+ stab wounds complete with dodgy sound effects and massive sprays of blood.
Personally I would have been happy if she had just knocked him out and then stood there crying and not knowing what to do next. But everyone's a critic ^_^ it was a great film