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The film obviously involved some seriously taboo subject matter which resulted in a visceral and viral reaction from viewers. Year of the Month: Son of Griff on CROSSFIRE, Trying to Catch Up with THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (Year of the Month), The Untalented Mr. Ripley: The Craft of Standup Comedy and the Non-Comedy of TOM MYERS. Required fields are marked *. Is it really justification enough for the father not to talk to parents or a psychologist because he was so ashamed? follows Sidney Johnson (Mayo), an acclaimed poet who had endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of his son, Isaiah (Greenhouse). . on the Internet. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons follows the story of an incestuous relationship between a father and son. The Strange Thing About The Johnsons is written and directed by Ari Aster. Sidney, the husband and father, is a famous poet, known and adored for his kindness and sensitivity. Play Trailer; Overview. these strange things were happening to me?. Ari Aster crafts heavy, haunting, and personal dramas that have a way of creating their very own unique atmosphere. This is a very good first impression from recently acclaimed new director, Ari Aster. I was looking for a horror film I could watch in under 30 minutes, and I sure got that. You may look at a film like The Strange Thing About the Johnsons and think that its grotesque, revolting, or unwatchable, and youd be right. He understands that the camera is there to show images, but that images do not a great film make. Lets get this out the way, the movie is very disturbing; but its very original. Solutions . In terms of the internet, that means it's a hit. The production values, cinematography, acting, writing, directing, and editing were absolutely phenomenal. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons is a 2011 American short film written and directed by Ari Aster. Sure shows that he has some talent, some of the greats in terms of filmmaking had worse rookie efforts. I dont usually write about short films, but as a diehard Ari Aster fan, I felt the need to review his first and most controversial project, The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011). Let's be real here Short films don't really have a place in the world in terms of global mass media. THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THE JOHNSONS | The Bedlam Files Earlier this week, a friend of mine recommended me to watch a short film titled The Strange Thing About the Johnson 's. I took it upon myself to fulfill their wishes and watch the film. was released online, it immediately went viral due to its themes. The father, an acclaimed poet; the mother, a legendary homemaker; and the son, recently married to a woman just as charming as he is. My point is "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons" is a half-hour live action short film from five years ago that features a predominantly Black cast. Unspeakable is probably a word that applies best to this 30-minute familial horror film. The Strange Thing About The Johnsons (2011) - YouTube Ugliness occurs in broad daylight, pastel shades unable to cover it up. Scriptwriting. But youre not just my father. hardcoreandawesome It has since gone on to draw a lot of attention and controversy online. His father, Sidney Johnson (Billy Mayo), walks into the room. And I just thought, what's the worst thing I can make at AFI? You never feel as though Ari Aster has ill intentions; nor do you feel that he wants to punish his audience. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THE JOHNSONSAmerican Film Institute, Director: Ari AsterProducer: Alejandro de LeonScreenplay: Ari AsterCinematography: Pawel PogorzelskiEditing: Brady HallongrenCast: Billy Mayo, Brandon Greenhouse, Angela Bullock, Daniele Watts, Carlon Jeffrey, John C. Johnson, Reatha Grey, Connie Jackson, Stanley Bennett Clay, Casey Desmond, Anna Jean, Matt Baker, Matthew McCray. The story is very engaging as it is subject matter most of us have not seen portrayed in film before. What if these strange events were happening behind the closed doors of the Smiths, the Rosenbergs, the Mortimers, the Herreras? Summaries. Topics cortometraje duracin 30 mins. To put it briefly, it resonates. They Strange AF. However, an emotionally distraught Sidney merely runs out of the house and into the street only to be struck and killed by an oncoming van. However, despite the disturbing act she witnesses, Joan merely takes a moment in order to regain her composure before continuing on with the party as if nothing has happened. Joan, for her part, knows about the abuse but does nothing to stop it, yet when Sidney commits suicide by throwing himself in front of an oncoming truck Joan has no choice but to confront her son about his evil deeds. In just 29-minutes, the shocking and taboo short film, which was also Asters thesis film from American Film Institutes graduate school, AFI Conservatory, absolutely shocked the film world. Original idea, well written, well acted, directed well and looked gorgeous shot on silky 16mm. We certainly assumed that casting black actors in a film that tackles such transgressive themes would create something of a stir, and it would be a lie to say that we werent hesitant, especially as many people were advising us against the decision.. While Ari Aster gained mainstream fame with his two horror masterpieces, Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), it was The Strange Thing About the Johnsons that established his penchant for the bizarre and unspeakable. The thirty minute STRANGE THING ABOUT THE JOHNSONS, made for the American Film Institute, has attained a fair amount of well-deserved infamy as a gross-out horror-fest, but viewing it as anything more than that is, I feel, plain wrong. Joan runs out of silence, and words are all thats left. The family's son has been abusing the father sexually since his teenage days. The Strange Thing About The Johnsons Sub Espaol by ari aster. But I don't really know who would, because the premise is one I genuinely don't feel like I can describe if I want to post this review on Letterboxd/IMDb/Instagram. I would recommend this short only to those with a high tolerance for the darkest story telling. We were held to a different standard, and I felt that was so unfair.. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (Short 2011) - IMDb (original score by) Cinematography by Pawel Pogorzelski . That poor, poor father! The thing is the son has been molesting his father since he was 12 years old. Uploaded by Talk about a thrilling short film! colorthekid 10 November 2019 It's nice to see that Ari Aster was into disturbing people from the start. In that way, I find The Strange Thing About the Johnsons to be far more than an attempt to push the envelope. This movie succeeds brilliantly in shocking, offending, and frightening the audience so I have to say "well done" to the nasty little creep who wrote and directed it. This short film is a masterpiece. one. Its awkward, sure, but its the awkwardness of doing the right, progressive thing. That said, Ari Aster shows a command for storytelling that many other amateur filmmakers simply do not possess. He burrows into self-help books about how your day will be determined by your own positivity, a thing his own life has already conclusively disproven; the phrases and rhetoric he clings to are ones his son uses against him. Its just under half an hour and nearly impossible to discuss without spoilers as the whole plot turns on an early revelation; its available on Vimeo if you want to duck out now and watch it. When it comes to incest, we would prefer to be revisionist historians. At its centre is a subject matter too horrible to really imagine anyone putting on film and it stayed with me for weeks afterwards as I struggled to get my head around it. Anyway, the longer the film runs, the more dramatic it becomes. Its excruciating to watch him earnestly slather on emotional openness as he tries to tell his teenage son that this is perfectly normal and its not something the son should feel guilty about and this incident isnt something that should become an unspeakable secret in their relationship, a pocket of silence in which something could fester. We were talking about topics that are too taboo to be explored, and so we arrived at taboos that weren't even taboos because they were so unfathomable, and the most popular was that of a son molesting his father. Host virtual events and webinars to increase engagement and generate leads. Billy Mayo. This also brings up the question of realism. From a technical standpoint, The Strange Thing About the Johnsons also does about as well as any other student film. contributor Malcolm Harris who is a incest and molestation survivor said that we should be applauding the fact that someone has finally shown true courage in proposing the question So in my humble opinion, we should be applauding the fact that someone has finally shown true courage in proposing the question, What If? Though theHereditaryandMidsommardirector is a Jewish man, his breakout short filmThe Strange Thing About the Johnsonsstars Billy Mayo, Brandon Greenhouse, and Angela Bullock as a Black family caught in a web of insect and abuse. It's brilliant, it's genius and it assured me once again that us humans are just vile monsters who don't deserve life as free as it is. The Strange Thing About The Johnsons (2011) The Viceregal Archive 1.69K subscribers Subscribe 1.1K Save 64K views 3 years ago Notice A dark domestic-horror drama about the ties that bind--and the ties that really bind.A dark domestic-horror drama about the ties that bind--and the ties that really bind.A dark domestic-horror drama about the ties that bind--and the ties that really bind. Matthew Jones is a freelance writer who has written for dozens of local and international businesses, in addition to his publications on film and philosophy. I stumbled across this short film on YouTube. Isaiah Johnson | Villains Wiki | Fandom The Strange Thing About the Johnsons opens on a scene of a young teenage boy, Isaiah, masturbating. Hes caught in a tangle of his sons rationalizations, and he takes the only noticeable way out of the Gordian knot. It is designed to make the audience uncomfortable so that, hopefully, they will talk about what they have just watched. Your email address will not be published. I am not sure. And yeah, I got nothing. For a 30-minute film, not a line or frame is out of place, showing the merits of a filmmaker who was still in their creative infancy. web pages However, it falls short in the same way that many student films do. I've watched hereditary and midsommar and both were equally disturbing. Ever since even 10 years ago, he knew how to disturb the viewers. Was this review helpful? Ari Aster Short Films Munchausen, The Johnsons Explained - StudioBinder This is Aster's most genre film as it feels almost 100% a drama. Enter your email address to receive notifications of new Philosophy in Film posts! (Even the title is suburban, framing the narrative as a kind of gossip.) Aster toldShadow and Actat the time, The color of the family isnt important. Incest is at the heart of the story, but it is put in the minds of the viewers through sound and implication more than anything else. Join the one in a thousand users that support us financiallyif our library is useful to you, please pitch in. Joan, the wife and mother, is an obsessive homemaker and the life of every party. 'The Strange Thing About the Johnsons' es un perturbador cortometraje lanzado en el 2011 por el director Ari Aster, quien tambin dirigi 'Hereditary' y 'Midsommar'. She retreats into willful ignorance, turning up the volume on the TV and sitting there with tears in her eyes while her son rapes her husband as punishment for locking the bathroom door, and if its a horrible, damaging strategy that helps no one, its in some ways a more coherent approach than Sidneys. Young Isaiah. They're very Hollywood-oriented and they want to train you to become a Hollywood filmmaker, and the films they show the incoming fellows are very politically correct Oscar movies. They are usually only seen by film-aholics or by people involved in the film arena (directors, producers, cinematographers, film critics, film students & professors, etc.) The idea behind the short had arisen from a discussion with some friends about taboo topics, during the summer preceding his first year at AFI. A short film about a seemingly unremarkable family with a disturbing secret. Uploaded by It's nice to see that Ari Aster was into disturbing people from the start. 2014 - 2016 The-Solute | Hosted, Developed and Maintained by BellinghamWP.com. If you saw Hereditary or Midsommar or both, well here's where the director started and boy is it messed up! Search the history of over 815 billion And then to figure out what makes that palatable and how to make that work. I recommend this half hour. "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons" is the direction debut of acclaimed American filmmaker. Some people claim there's an important statement about sexual abuse to be found in this student short from 2011. The Strange Thing About The Johnsons Sub Espaol Aster claims that the idea for the film came about while discussing things that you simply could not show in a film. This short film by Ari Aster was filmed phenomenally and the storyline was very well written and acted out, it is a mentally disturbing and mind twisting film. 94 InkintoDark 3 yr. ago comment. a Addeddate 2021-02-13 15:14:12 Identifier the-strange-thing-about-the-johnssons Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4. plus-circle Add Review. Ari Aster is known for bringing two gems of modern horror to life: Hereditary and Midsommar . However, the jealous son, more obsessed than ever with his twisted, insatiable incestuous lust for his father, attempts to stop him from finishing the book. The manuscript is his way to finally tell his story and reveal his tortured life to his wife and the world. It is an interesting perspective that I have never seen on film before but be warned it is quite disturbing. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons is the short submitted by Ari Aster for his thesis, this before he established himself as one of the most talented directors in the contemporary horror film scene. If we cant confront issues like incestuous relationships and sexual abuse in a fictional movie, theres no way we can confront them in real life. During the struggle Joan scratches Isaiah's face which causes him to throw her across the room and attempt to strangle her, only for Joan to stab him with a nearby knife in self-defense. The short was Aster's thesis film while studying at the American Film Institute's graduate school in California,[3] and later screened at film festivals in 2011, premiering at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah on January 22, before it leaked online in November and went viral. The long held idea that all roles played by African American actors must Uplift the Race wasnt followed by this films cast and crew, who appear to have hewed to the attitude put forth by the African American actress/author Carol Speed, who once questioned If Jane Fonda could play a prostitute, how come I couldnt play one?The white people never expected Jane Fonda to carry their moral issues. On the other hand, both Bill Mayo and Angela Bullock do an excellent job portraying parents caught in an impossible situation. Director, Writer. What's So Strange About the Johnsons? | HuffPost Voices : (. The film fast-forwards 14 years to the day of Isaiahs wedding. This stir and much needed discourse has African Americans, in particular, choosing sides between a white filmmaker's freedom of expression and a community's rejection of ownership. Content Warning: This article discusses themes of sexual and psychological abuse. Lambing: Parents, and the Baby They Must Choose, Cairn: The Ancestral Home as the Repository of Generational Sins and Secrets, Dreamers: A Well Choreographed Screen Dance To Explain The DACA. Topics cinema. There are no reviews yet. It was a film that Aster began thinking about after discussing taboos with his friends before his first year at AFI. '"[7], "Fantastic Fest 2013 Short Film Lineup Announced", "Complicated Grief: Ari Aster on Hereditary's Family Nightmare", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Strange_Thing_About_the_Johnsons&oldid=1166886899, This page was last edited on 24 July 2023, at 10:48. Trying to dodge the question, Isaiah says that he doesn't remember but Joan asks if that's when "all this" started. Many people also did not like that Aster, a Jewish man, was centering a Black family. "[5], The film also garnered controversy for its portrayal of an African American family by a white filmmaker. We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us! The writer and director is Ari Aster and this is one of his earliest career efforts. Warning: there are depictions of emotional abuse, gaslighting and violent sexual abuse. (cinematography by) Editing by Brady Hallongren . Well acted and frightening for multiple reasons. Good acting, writing, and again an original story. The Strange Thing About The Johnsons : r/A24 r/A24 7 mo. [6], After the short film was released online, it went viral, garnering a polarized reaction due to its controversial themes. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons - Horror Revolution The Strange Thing About the Johnsons has long been Aster's best-known short, though new attention is being paid to "Beau," which his upcoming feature Beau is Afraid is based on, and which A24 has . The Strange Thing About The Johnsons by Ari Aster Publication date 2011 Topics video, short film, ari aster, 2011 Language English Short horror film by Ari Aster. I'd really have to disagree about the comedy part- unless you find the disturbing story absurd enough to be funny? Among them, the propensity to tackle really taboo subjects, so much so that the idea must have been frowned upon in a politically correct university, such as AFI. "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons" is just that. Search the history of over 815 billion Director Ari Aster Writer Ari Aster Stars Billy Mayo Brandon Greenhouse Angela Bullock See production, box office & company info The Johnsons are an attractive upper-middle-class family. Indie Shorts Mag is a publishing agency that works within the short film circuit. On a positive note, the actor who played the father was quite good. In recent years, few films have been as controversial as Ari Asters 2011 short film,The Strange Thing About The Johnsons. But the horror that lies just under the surface is always there. 102. However, few of them deal with the subject matter in a way that is repulsive without being reprehensible. Sidney has a talk with the boy, assuring him that what hes doing is entirely normal for a boy; what were not immediately shown is that the photo to which the boy is pleasuring himself is of Sidney himself. Event marketing. I didn't understand the mother's actions/inactions, but other than that, I was riveted! [1] [2] The film stars Billy Mayo, Brandon Greenhouse, and Angela Bullock as members of a suburban family in which the father is involved in an abusive incestuous relationship with his son. In 1995, Sidney Johnson, an acclaimed poet, accidentally interrupts his twelve-year-old son, Isaiah, masturbating. What if these strange events were happening behind the closed doors of The Smiths, The Rosenbergs, The Mortimers, The Herreras? While Sidney is listening to a self-help tape in the bath, Isaiah breaks down the locked door and rapes him, telling him to "write that in his book" afterwards. Joan, Isaiahs mother, discovers the abuse but has no toolkit to deal with it at all. The Strange Things About the Johnsons is about an upper middle-class family that would fit in everywhere in America. See production, box office & company info. However, when tensions find an unexpected opening, the film has fully deconstructed the special brand of suburban affinity for respectability. This is "THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THE JOHNSONS" by Alejandro De Leon on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. The performances are quite strong, particularly that of the veteran supporting actor Billy Mayo (19572019), who generates an enormous amount of sympathy as the put-upon Sidney. Cut to 14 years later, when Sidney is ensnared in an abusive sexual relationship with the twentyish Isaiah. I would call him a horror director, however, based off the core nature of his films and some things Aster has said himself including things like he didn't intentionally set out to make a horror film from the start with "Hereditary". (Even the title is suburban, framing the narrative as a kind of gossip.) I'm not the kind of person to get easily disturbed by watching movies or shorts with the "disturbing" label on it, and this is one of those rare films that actualy managed to freak me out. What happens next escalates into a physical fight between Joan and Isiah, eventually leading to one of the characters death. Directed and written by Ari AsterProduced by Alejandro De LeonStarring:Billy MayoBrandon GreenhouseAngela BullockMusic by Brendan EderCinematography by Pawel. He believes in open, empathetic communicationthough he does hit a wall of sorts when Isaiah (Brandon Greenhouse) asks him if he also does it. Theres a difference, after all, between explain to your child that masturbation is fairly universal and explain your personal jerk-off habits to your twelve-year-old son, and Sidney knows it. And a monster of a son! This movie also kind of reminds me of Trey Edward Shults first film "Krisha". It is a psychological horror drama that revolves around members of a suburban family where the son is involved in an abusive incestuous relationship with his father.I know! #CapCut #reddit #redditstories #redditreadings #reddit_tiktok #game #askreddit #fyp #AITA #fouyou #viral #storytime #stereo". To see more of his writing, check out his Medium page or personal website. Since his debut film, Ari Aster has dialed back his penchant for controversy. Too many people not seeing the deeper meaning!! The Strange Thing About the Johnsons opens on a scene of a young teenage boy, Isaiah, masturbating. This Early Ari Aster Short Film Makes 'Hereditary' Look Tame - Collider This short is amazing. A dark domestic-horror drama about the ties that bind--and the ties that really bind. As Sidney leaves the room, the camera pans to reveal that Isaiah was masturbating to a picture of his father. My hat goes off to the filmmaker and all those involved for creating a truly unique and visionary piece of cinema. It is about a seemingly harmonic family, but reality is different. For more film reviews like this one, check out the Philosophy in Film Homepage! Your email address will not be published. 'The Strange thing about the Johnsons' is an American short film that was released in 2011 having been written and directed by Ari Aster. It was not at all what I expected it to be. A dark domestic melodrama about the ties that bind and the ties that really bind. Join. 16 Aug 2022 in Reviews 0 Best known today for Midsommar and Hereditary, AFI Conservatory graduate Ari Aster's horror-drama The Strange Thing About The Johnsons can perhaps be better understood today than it was ten years ago, on its release in 2011. Ed Solomon and the Black List launch Word by Word screenwriting process seminar with Lena Dunham, Susannah Fogel, Jesse Armstrong, Eric Roth, Tracy Oliver and more (FREE) deadline. The story flows seamlessly without the need for endless dialogue. The most subversive aspect of the film is the fact that the entire cast is black. Youre my friend, youre my best friend. [1][2] The film stars Billy Mayo, Brandon Greenhouse, and Angela Bullock as members of a suburban family in which the father is involved in an abusive incestuous relationship with his son. The team began work on the project during Aster's time at the American Film Institute's graduate school, AFI Conservatory, for his thesis film. The film focuses on the eponymous Johnson family: Sidney, a successful poet; Joan, his wife; and Isaiah, his charismatic son. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / Characters - TV Tropes The psychological horror drama film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival on 22nd January 2011. Their son Isaiah is a charismatic young man who has just married an equally-appealing young woman. Unfortunately for him, his father walks in on him but asks him not to be shy, that masturbating is a normal thing. We aspire to form a niche for ourselves as the short film magazine that remains the hub for filmmakers & their audience. Even disturbing from the opening shots, the first twist is a jaw-dropping shock for anyone who doesn't know the plot of the film. Sidneys book infuriates Isaiah, leading to a series of violent events that tear the Johnson family apart. FULL MOVIE The Strange Things About The Johnson's FULL MOVIE - YouTube Aster conceived the story while discussing taboos with his friends, including Greenhouse, before his first year at AFI. It's unsettling, uncomfortable, and delightful. I won't spoil anything but you've never seen any disfunctional family themed films like this one, it's very original. However, Isaiah discovers the memoir before Joan reads it. Sign in to vote. It takes us what we need to see, even if wed rather keep our eyes shut. Horror movies do that. In this way, we are all Isaiahs mother. I was amazed at this movie! Be the first one to, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). "The Strange Thing" is the story about a suburban family that where the father and son share a dark secret. However the very next line in the review is "I know these things actually happen," So how can something be both implausible and ridiculous, yet actually happen? Wow! You never gave it a chance to be good.. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons - Wikipedia Here's where Ari Aster's 2011 short film is available for streaming online. Talking about your feelings is, Aster implies, not an inherent goodits something that can be weaponized as easily as Joans silence. "The Strange Thing About The Johnsons" - the directorial debut - Reddit Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. Short Film Review: The Strange Thing About The Johnsons: Sexual Abuse Isaiah Johnson is the main antagonist of the 2011 infamous indie short horror film The Strange Thing About the Johnsons. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons. Ambiguous Situation: It's never made clear how the abuse began.At the very least, Sidney walks in on his son, and then gave a touching speech about how something of that sort is perfectly normal, implying that the son was already obsessed with . stars Billy Mayo, Brandon Greenhouse, and Angela Bullock as a Black family caught in a web of insect and abuse. Politics latest: Sadiq Khan says 14 times he's 'listening' on ULEZ I'm a 25 year old gay man who has been in a consensual sexual - TikTok 31 out of 38 found this helpful. Where To Watch The Strange Thing About The Johnsons For Free - Viebly Oh, a son raping his dad, we should make that a movie. The acting, though generally good, occasionally falls flat. The Message in 'The Strange Thing About the Johnson's - Arts Having lost her family, an utterly distraught Joan throws the last copy of Cocoon Man into the fire as the credits roll. In this early effort the young Ari Aster couldnt resist some show-offy visual bravura (such as a lengthy tracking shot through an outdoor party and a dramatic confrontation visualized entirely through barred windows), but for the most part the film is well crafted and affecting.