MHAM: ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and the Journey of a Family Through Trauma

With its ten episodes oscillating back and forth between past and present, we discover the story of the Crain family. Director Mike Flanagan explores the complicated emotional dynamics of family relationships, in which every heated conversation and every word unsaid are part of a much bigger puzzle.

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‘Joker’ (2019): Exploring the Controversies Behind the Joaquin Phoenix Feature

Critics who have dared to discuss their dislike of the film have been subject to online slander from those who brand it a masterpiece.

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‘Undone’ and Why Complex Depictions of Mental Illnesses Matter

In a world where characters with mental illnesses are consistently depicted as the monsters, villains, antagonists, and just generally ‘unlikeable’ people across film and television, Undone feels like a breath of fresh air. An Amazon original series, the show is an adult animated, dramedy created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy, both known for their…

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Her Smell (2019) and “The Power of Going Backwards”

Stories about following your dreams have been told many times in film. These can either be extremely inspirational or they can find themselves getting stuck in a strange tug-of-war between passion and addiction. They can border between a Disney fairy-tale or a twisted psychological thriller. Both are about chasing your dreams and the problems that…

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‘Gia’: The Undone, The Divine, and Everything In Between

I’m powerless over a lot of things. Things like my love for women, the way I am represented, and the fact it doesn’t rain as often as I’d like. I’m powerless over the fact that I am an addict. And I’m powerless over the effect Gia just had on me. Powerlessness is the fundamental undercurrent…

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Mad Women, Crazy Women: The Subversion of Gender Roles in Netflix’s ‘Dead To Me’

In 1991, Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise proved that there was a space for women in the buddy film and road movie genres that had been largely dominated by male protagonists. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon’s eponymous characters were well-developed, complex and life-like; their touching and authentic friendship remaining centre stage as they fought back…

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Depression and Suicide in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment

When people ask who my favorite fictional characters are, I often receive blank stares when I reply without hesitation: C. C. Baxter. The Apartment (1960) has become a classic in the Billy Wilder canon, but even if those in the conversation know who Jack Lemmon’s C. C. Baxter is offhand, they also know he isn’t…

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REVIEW: “A Reminder That People Need People” – ‘Kingdom of Us’ (2017)

In 2007, Paul Shanks committed suicide leaving behind wife Vikie, six daughters and a son. Kingdom Of Us is an extraordinarily personal insight into the grieving process of this family and a reflection of a mother’s strength in the face of tragedy. Ten years on from Paul Shanks’ death, Lucy Cohen’s 2017 documentary Kingdom Of…

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“Don’t Quit Before the Miracle Happens” – Mental Health in Netflix’s One Day At A Time

For reasons unbeknown even to me, I settled in to watch the third season of Netflix’s comedy series reboot One Day At A Time (ODAAT) on a long-haul flight earlier this year. As someone who has an impressively bad track record for not crying at most of the media I watch, I’m not entirely sure…

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