TRANSCRIPT HERE
Finishing up our Ari Aster-palooza! Let’s unpack Ari’s next traumatic experience of a film, 2019’s Midsommar. It’s a break-up movie, but not like most break up movies. We continue our discussion of grief and trauma in Ari’s cinematic world, and Midsommar’s themes of society’s view of life, death and family. It’s not all fun and games though, as we highlight the negative messages about disability and mental illness. Also, spoiler alert, Christian is a toxic, narcissistic prick. We talk about that too.
CONTENT WARNING: Murder, suicide, family death, ableism, decapitation, PTSD, panic attack, anxiety, disability used as horror, eugentics, rape, discussion of visual gore, mutilation, coercive control/emotional abuse/gaslighting, drug use, violence, dead animals, cults, pagan rituals, a bit of swearing. On top of that Steph talks about Dr Death at the beginning (discussion of botched surgeries). It’s a lot.
NOTE: This podcast is not designed to be therapeutic, prescriptive or constitute a formal diagnosis for any listener, nor the characters discussed. The host is not representative of all psychologists and opinions stated are her own personal opinion, based on her own learnings and training (and minimal lived experience). Host and co-hosts do not have the final say and can only comment based on their own perspectives, so please let us know if you dispute any of these opinions – we are keen for feedback!
Host: Stephanie Fornasier
Cohost: Michael Watson
Editor: Nicholas Fornasier
Music and artwork: Michael Watson
References!
The mash up of both endings side by side (if you want): Hereditary and Midsommar Ending (side-by-side) - YouTube
HORROR AND DIAGNOSIS: ON ARI ASTER
Exploring Depictions of Disability in 2018 Horror Movies
Hideous Progeny: Disability, Eugenics, and Classic Horror Cinema on JSTOR
The Atlantic: What Kind of Movie Ari Aster Wanted Midsommar to Be
The Guardian: Midsommar director Ari Aster: 'I often cling to dead things'
Vox: Ari Aster on his new film Midsommar: “I keep telling people I want it to be confusing”
Forbes: A Film Under the Influence: Gender, Homage And 'Midsommar'
Independent: Disabled children are not scary so please stop using able-bodied actors to portray them in horror films
Plymouth State University blog: Disability, Ari Aster, and the horror genre
Vulture: Midsommar interview with Ari Aster
The Guardian: Midsommar's ableism resurrects the dark history of eugenics-inspired horror
The Future of Psychocinematic Podcast
Episode 68: Two Backbrace Girls, and Romy & Michele’s Highschool Reunion (with Lauren Edwards)
Episode 67: Why Santa Claus IS Autistic, and making theatre more inclusive (With Oliver Hetherington-Page)
Episode 65: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: The Haunting of Hill House, or, problems that could be solved by simply talking? (with Braaains Podcast)
Episode 64: Crohn’s Disease representation in Boldly Go, and Pete Davidson just trying to spread awareness (with Chris Cosgrove)
Episode 63: A Star is Born - love, trauma and addiction in the journey of fame (with Alex Steed)
Episode 62: Let’s fold in the cheese as we confabulate on ND coded characters in Schitt’s Creek (with Marie Camin)
Episode 61: The Kings Speech and other screen royals with a stutter (with Priya)
Episode 60: The truth about Tourette’s and Tiktok (with Monica Nguyen)
Episode 59: Lets watch Stutz and talk about the Jonah Hill texts
Episode 58 Tribute Re-release: Rubber Johnny, a wildly problematic viral short film (with Nic Fornasier)
Episode 57 Tribute Re-release: The Royal Tenenbaums (with Nic Fornasier)
Episode 56: Inclusion in action in How To Train Your Dragon (with Lo Nigrosh)
Episode 55: Heartbreak High aka All Hail Queen Chloe Hayden (with Zoe Simmons)
Episode 54: Frozen is Psychoeducation for kids... and adults (with Laura Pettenuzzo)
Episode 53: Wednesday and coded vs canonized neurodivergent characters (with Jeremy Andrew Davis)
Episode 52: Ode to Joy and what Narcolepsy REALLY looks like (with Charlene Barker)
Episode 51: Reasons to like Please Like Me (with Dr. Elise McGlashan)
Episode 50: What America’s Next Top Model taught us about bodies, beauty, gender and how to be on top (with Clinton McQueen)
Episode 49: RE-RELEASE (RIP Judy Heumann) Crip Camp, the Disability Rights Movement, and who you should listen to instead of me
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