TRANSCRIPT HERE
Today we pay tribute to brother and editor of the podcast Nic Fornasier (11.10.1990 – 22.6.2023). We release in one episode, 2021’s originally 2 parter episode, where Nic joins Steph as they explore the dysfunctional family opus, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Directed by Wes Anderson and written by Wes and Owen Wilson, it was Nic and Steph’s shared favourite film of all time.
Together they asked the question, can narcissistic dads who abandon their kids make up for the resulting trauma? And if so does this movie portray this situation with nuance and respect? Steph and Nic do their best at diagnosing the characters, discuss how the family relates to their own lives, and whether the Wes-isms in the film are helpful or harmful for the viewer.
We dedicate this episode to Nic. We love you Niccie.
CONTENT WARNING: Suicide (particularly from 1:35:13 – 1:39:18), substance use and addiction (including personal experiences), depression, self harm, childhood emotional manipulation and neglect, cancer, discussions of sexual content, death of a family member, death of a dog, incest??
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!
REFERENCES:
Episode 13: The Father, or let’s all experience dementia together
Episode 12b: The Simpsons Tackle Depression & Anxiety! Part 2: Was the Simpsons good for mental illness stigma? (with Nathan Phillips)
Episode 12a: The Simpsons Tackle Depression & Anxiety! Part 1: How The Simpsons evolved and shaped us (or didn’t) (with Nathan Phillips)
Episode 11b: The Royal Tenenbaums, or when shitty dads mess up their clever kids - Part 2: Wes-isms under a mental health lens (with Nic Fornasier)
Episode 11a: The Royal Tenenbaums, or when shitty dads mess up their clever kids - Part 1: The Family of Geniuses (with Nic Fornasier)
Episode 10: The Virgin Suicides, teen angst and mental illness through the male gaze (with Maz Fornasier)
Episode 9: Me Before You, voluntary assisted dying, and the devaluing of disability
Episode 8: The Queen’s Gambit, aka chess & drugs & Anya Taylor Joy (with Maz Fornasier)
Episode 7: Tully -aka Juno grows up and goes through post partum depression
Episode 6: Love Actually - about mental health and disability, actually.
Episode 5: Donnie Darko - schizophrenia or time travel?
Episode 4: Ratched VS One Flew Over the Cuckoo‘s Nest and the history of mental health instutions
Episode 3: Rain Man - Hollywood’s first autism movie
Episode 2: The Sopranos - lets have a very long chat about Tony Soprano and Dr Melfi
Episode 1: Joker - DC has things to say about mental illness
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