For me it didn't. It just confuses me, and distorts the message. Wasn't even disturbing nor did i ever feel like i need to take this short film seriously. Due to this, the film falls flat for me, and Joan could have been a real good character, but she just seems one-dimensional. For me, We need to talk about Kevin does a way better job talking about abusive family dynamics and the aftermath.
I felt foolish because never in my life have I thought a SON would molest his FATHER! I sat through this whole thing just Crying for this man who lives in fear of his son! The bathroom scene was horrifying and, you can't blame the Father for the ending. He did what he had to do. So sad.
I'd only heard about this movie before and this is the first I'm actually seeing any footage of it... is the son in the movie (before he becomes an adult) the brother from ANT Farm? That made this even more weird if so
@@jeremiahwalker3795that is not funny he goes to his son's bedroom and tell him that is natural okay it's normal for a father speaking to his son about masturbation it's natural what he did okay it's normal to have a conversation with your child when it's about masturbation but he approached his son in a strange manner his son was was masturbating looking at his father's photo these things could and badly and it destroys families relationship is these things are not supposed to happen what concerns the black community right now the black community is messed up 0:48
WOW...really?!😮 I really like his movies; however, I didn't know he did this one. I had heard about it but never knew what it was about at all. Horrific. 😧
@@akinaneon-xz6oj its probably his way of expressing his grief through filmao...i dont even wanna know i just hope like you that ari is ok and his films help him grieve properly:(
I feel the same way!! Mista Gg ruined my life with this movie suggestion!! Omfg 😢 It is the most disturbing short film to ever come across.. takes mos to forget!!
Ppl not even realizing this is a juxtaposition on the normalized pedos dishing out the child abuse that a lot of children experience into adulthood because of "love". Its so gruesome and unsettling because it has to be, u need to understand what it really feels like for children and families in this situation... This could be perceived as satire, but its really heart breaking.
i find that i often see ari asters reasoning for making this movie being misconstrued as “he wanted to make a movie about the most fucked up, disturbing thing he could think of”. thats not what he said. aster set out to make a film that his school would not want him to make, to say the things they wouldnt want him to say. he wanted to find something so taboo that we didnt even realize it WAS taboo, because as a society, we just dont talk about it. and then he made a movie about a family Not Talking About It, that forces you to sit with the question that is the real reason he made this film: why cant we talk about it?
Idk who said we cant talk about pedophilia, weve been for decades and have only been geeting more aggressive towards it. This movie was clearly for shock value and to be edgy
@@cotenaijo3112 the people who _can_ talk about it often times aren't the ones who this sort of media was made for. truly, how can one comment on an experience they themselves have never faced? so many feel they must suffer in silence for the _exact_ reason the film was made: fear. it was meant to be shocking and disturbing because the subject itself is shocking and disturbing. it's only recently that the opposition of child abuse/paedophilia has come about. still, in a lot of countries including the US, child marriage is legal with parents permission. although, a child cannot sue, divorce, or hold a prosecution until they are 18 -- meaning they are stuck in these marriages until they are of age, even though the law recognizes they could not have the consent to do it in the first place. these rules apply to this day in 2025. I only bring this up to make a point -- if you didn't know this rule existed, it's because we don't talk about it. and if you did, it means we don't talk about it _enough_
I find it ironic they have just flipped the outcome parents abuse the kids in all pedophilic outcomes in families. This writer has flipped it so the son is the abuser. Pretty clever if I say, considering how prolific the first outcome is
This is what makes me suspect the author has a fetish for kids/incest, but this scenario is more socially acceptable, so it's made into a movie for public consumption. The author/creator is probably getting off on making people unwittingly watch their own twisted fantasies, but in reverse format.
This movie is so disturbing but when you realize this is a satire for actually sexual abuse between parent and child and if you switch the roles, this becomes horrifying.
This video is so good I feel like too many people blame Sydney for the abuse just because he was older when it is clear that he NEVER wanted this to happen and literally how he feels he can’t do anything because it’s his son! He states that in his writing!!
It's actually a good PSA film. To address to all the terribleness parents that SA their kids. To put their shoes on the people they abuse. It's a subversion but it also seems to be ironic and horrific as it is meant to catch people's attention through the subversion I was talking about
@@waves2378his own Dad hired Weird Al to do it instead since like a normal person he thought it was super fucked up and weird so he did that so Garrison would get over it and move on
A short film doesn't "prove" reality. Look up actual statistics if you want to see who the majority of victims and perpetrators are. This scenario is not it. More like a fantasy of the writer.
@@IK_4It does happen it’s just not talked about… especially boys and Mother’s… a lot of Mother’s are terrified of their son’s especially once they become teenagers or young adults. It just makes ppl really uncomfortable…
@LilithsCosmicLounge Of course it can happen. Anything can happen "traditional" incest, SA, etc are also underreported. This specific situation is extremely rare, and I'd ask someone to prove that son to father like this even exists. The person who wrote this has a very vivid fantasy. My thoughts on that will not change.
Elder abuse is VERY much a real thing and sxual abuse is not only perpetrated by parents towards children. There are many horrible stories about people who work in nursing homes with the intention of abusing the elderly. Keep your parents safe everyone.
It is a real thing. The famous internet microcelebrity Chris Chan actually went to prison for doing this exact thing to her mother. I've never heard of a son doing this to his own father, but I have no doubt that it occurs.
@@t3hpenguinofd00m His mother was a very sick disturned person by all accounts, including his biological half brother's. In situations like this, there are decades of warning signs and the adults need to be seeking help for their children. It's not a clear cut case of victim/abuser like the reversal would be. The director here went out of his way to whitewash the father of any responsibility.
People need to understand just because someone is older, bigger, among other things doesn’t mean that they can’t be abused. “Why would you let the son do that?” Don’t blame the victim, this film shows anyone can be a victim. And because of victim blaming it’s difficult for people to come forward.
So mad the wife didn’t do anything, like wtf I would have knocked my son out. And the fact she burned the husbands book?? That was his story, way out, and closure
To be fair.. If she said something on the wedding day.. Their reputation is gone. That's why she probably never said or did anything. But yeah wow she's such an L
The most disgusting thing( any form of abuse) I have ever seen. Could this happen ? but in this sick world , any deviant, behavior, lurks in the dark shadows of people.
The worst part of this film isn't even anything that we see in it. It's the entire fact that we know that somewhere, likely closer than you think, this exact kind of abuse is happening. It's just that nobody likes to think that this is possible or talk about it.
How interesting that people are so horrified by this movie. We are so used to situations of a parent engaging in abuse against a child, which is at LEAST as messed up as this dynamic. Maybe that’s the filmmaker’s point - a victim feels powerless, guilty, and often has another family member who doesn’t protect them - as horrible as it feels when the adult is the victim, shouldn’t it be more horrifying that often CHILDREN are victims? Imagine if every abuse story elicited the reaction that this one seems to.
Not to be that person but a lot of these comments kinda solidify my idea that people only see the use of rape and sa in media as sick and disgusting when it’s a man doing it to another man. I never see comments criticizing it like this when the sa includes any other combination. (Not to say it shouldn’t be criticized, but yall should look into why this movie specifically bothers you when others involving rape normally don’t)
There's this manga called berserk (would not recommend reading) , which has Sa of a major female character in it, and to say the make fans are unbearable when talking about the subject is in understatement. Stuff like this is really sad because berserk is such a well written series and yet the fans have little to zero media literacy.
Ari Aster has an impeccable way with making his audience uncomfortable because that is the purpose. Discomfort is caused by a boundary you’ve put up be it physically or mentally, rightfully and illogically. It’s a comfort zone that even can be made unconsciously as it is a perceived threat. But, many times, it takes pushing through that discomfort so you can look at something that you refused to think about before. An anxiety, fear, or aspect of reality you’ve avoided as much as you could.
I remember seeing this years ago and I was disturbed and confused at the same time. It was confusing because I couldn’t figure out if it was actually based on a real story or if the film writer was just a twisted individual😂
This is maybe the one and only time i have been unable to finnish a horror movie. The scene where he confronts the father over the book had my heart racing. What a crazy bold depiction of how abuse is complicated and in being a victim you can be at risk of being called the abuser
Just watched this and found your video from tik tok, you did an amazing job!! It's so frustrating to me that we can't see what happened while he was growing up. I thought Sidney started the abuse until you analyzed the prom night situation. I'm wondering if you have any thoughts about the boy's wife. I know it doesn't show her much, but did you catch any signs that she knew anything? Or was she completely oblivious?
Thank you! I think she was completely oblivious about what was going on with her husband and father-in-law. In the scene where Isaiah broke a picture frame before stating that he was going to hang back and help his parents clean up, she looked at hime a bit funny, but I doubt she had any idea what his true intentions were for "hanging back to clean up". I think she just thought it was a bit strange and she probably thought he was just making up excuses to hang back, but she had no idea what was really happening. But I mean, how could she know, right? Isaiah treated her well enough, he spoke to her kindly, never even raised his voice at her. Isaiah was a master manipulator. Unfortunately, she had no idea who she married.
The people saying this film shouldn't have been made and that it's gross are basically saying they're okay with sexual abuse. SA can happen to anyone and it doesn't matter if the victim is older or younger than the perpetrator or if they're related or not.
How is that saying they're ok with sexual abuse? I'm not defending people who are fine with SA, but are you saying that calling this film gross or disturbing means you're one of those people?
@@darth_hideous-l9q you're right maybe saying they're okay with sexual abuse is a bit of a stretch. I guess i just find it upsetting that other films/documentaries about SA get a lot more sympathy while this one doesn't.
@@Reyvionit’s just displayed very, very differently. other people find it difficult to relate to or even understand and level with this odd, unheard of type of sexual abuse. you just don’t see people talking about this ever.
@@bondutchess it's displayed the way abuse often looks like: manipulation, violence, fear of retaliation, depression, etc. There's nothing "special " or new about the way Sydney is being abused, it's just that he's a father being SA by his son...that's the only difference. People are so accustomed to victims (and abusers) looking a certain way (in age, race, and gender) that they find it difficult to sympathize with victims who don't fit the mold (WOC, men, old people etc). It's why I think films and other media like this are important. People have gotten really comfortable with only having to consider a small subset of SA victims.
A lot of the comments on this video confuse the shit out of me. Namely the ones where they find the idea so incomprehensible as to how this can happen. No matted what you believe evil is evil and it will find a way to be evil. Anyone can be born with it and have the tools to do things as messed up as the premise of the film. Its a fuckin insane short film and while i don't want to watch it again it was really good
when i first seen this i just kept thinking about all the children who have been in this situation, to have people who u trusted cause pain like this to use a childs innocence this way smh...i got so enraged i was soo angry.....i really h8 sexual predators
What I understand about this short film is it is really showing what happens with parents who do this to children. They flipped the story around to show JUST how heinous it is when it happens.
Yes we have become numb to thing like this. Subverting expectations put us in the victim shoes. It makes us uncomfortable, sick, disturbed & that is how we should always feel no matter who the victim is. It also shows us for every abuser there is also an enabler who assists in the abuse continuing. And even at the end she still burnt the book. Hiding the truth forever. Rather living with the lie. It was masterfully done!
I cannot think of one benefit that could come from going to see this movie. This and Zoo from 2007, are enough to make you ashamed to be a human. The disgust is REAL.
I think the point of this movie is the reversal element. By making it so outrageous and abnormal, you highlight how normalized the reverse is in some families. The son being the perpetrator is SHOCKING. The mom doesn’t stop the abuse but she knows about it. You pay attention to the film because it’s so different from what you’re used to, however when you take a step back of it and remember the reverse and more common tropes…it’s really highlighting how normalized these relationships can become. Children in these incestuous and pedophilic relationships are often ignored by their families in the same way Sydney is ignore. You reverse their roles and it all becomes clear. I think this was absolutely done on purpose to shine a light on how a lot of families have a sort of “ignorance is bliss” mentality and purposely ignore, hide, and don’t talk about or address abusive and predatory relatives preying on their children so as to not upset the family unit. The reversal is shocking and grips you but it also gets you thinking about the “normal” version of this dynamic-and how “normal” that dynamic is for some families. In this regard, if nothing else, I think it has its merits for this.
I find it gross how a lot of people in the comments are trying to blame the son for him acting that way or saying it was made by a sick individual this is clearly a movie about how anyone can be a victim even if they're older younger family stranger etc no matter who you are anyone can be abused in this way and the people trying to blame the father for abusing him is just trying to justify the sons actions and dehumanize the father because that was clearly never stated or even hinted in the movie This wasn't made because it's a fetish and it's NOT the fathers fault
When Isaiah told Sydney that he’d started it, I don’t think he meant literally and I don’t think he was trying to gaslight either. I think it goes back to that opening scene and it was a misinterpretation. Like he’d already had attraction toward his father but the talk was like a validator. Sydney was telling him that it was natural and okay and that he didn’t want it to be taboo between them and I think to Isaiah that was one of his justifications for what he did.
god this is such an amazing video about such an interesting piece of art and i cant help but be disappointed and a little unnerved at how many people think this is a disgusting work of disgusting people or some other bs. just because a piece of art makes you(general) uncomfortable doesn't mean it's without purpose and its existence is disgusting and pointless.
You really have a great channel, I may have said it before but seriously thank you for posting. Your vids are so straightforward & inspires me to write.
I’m not trying to be ignorant, but how does a grown man, let another grown man, his child, abuse him? How did he let his son control him? It blows my mind.
I feel like shock goes into abuse and you can clearly tell he wasn’t the type to tell or shout and be very I don’t want this no more and listening to her point like leaving his wife behind to abuse her but the only one who was actual at fault was Joan his wife like she attempted nothing twice
Abuse is a very complicated thing. You have to consider, he’s still his son and he doesn’t want to be incriminated for such a heinous crime, and he can’t beat him in combat, he doesn’t want his wife to be exposed to it, there are so many factors. I agree however, too often the problem is fear. People are too afraid to take action. It’s definitely not that simple though.
It was a good movie. But leaves to many questions opened what happened to the mom after killing her son for sex abuse towards her husband/Father and not to mention at the end she burned the other copy of Cocoon man written by the husband/Father about the abuse.
i don't think it's a stretch to say the mother DIED; inside her head & her soul, she DIED. but burning the manuscript at the end is a VERY strange (& unsettling) turn.
She had to kill her son in self-defense. That was bad enough. Then imagine when people found out her life was far worse and she was a bystander who did nothing. She wanted those memories to die with her and not taint the reputation of her family/husband or the son anymore.
I think it's a lot like how in the gang ridden communities the parents don't stand up and rein in their kids instead they and the community become victims of them.
@@kingtonkalover Shes an L wife L mother L person when the abuse was smaller and just little thibgs she ignored, deflected attention from it and chose to stand by and let it happen. Yes there is nuance but no what she did cannot only be blamed on fear of being hurt
Right? So many people not recommending it because it's disturbing not realizing that this form of sexual abuse does exist and are usually kept under wraps because the victims are afraid of what others may think...
It weird how such things that are creepy would appear in real life too. Like when we watch it on the movie the first time, we think nothing that creepy will happen in real life. But then we hear about it from people we know or on the news, its shatters the perfect world you live in all your life. It was just this year I hear something about a old friend and it real horrified me a lot. It might be a long time till I get over it.
the VERY same thing could be said of those who are addicted to watching men (or women now) in highly choreographed hand-to-hand fight scenes. or "war porn". or 'slasher' flicks. "fact is stranger than fiction".
YEP...I NEED TO KNOW OF GEORGE R, R. MARTIN'S MIND when he wrote Games Of Throne....like dude....the incestuous shit going on in that series is sickening as hell!!!
I'm stopping right here at the 0:27 mark and not moving forward because this is far too disturbing for me to process. Someone actually got this "film" approved.
Why shouldn't it be approved? It doesn't show real sexual abuse. It's not an erotic fiction about sexual abuse (not that those should be banned, because no one is actually abused by fiction). It doesn't glorify it, it shows the pain that comes with it. Pearl-clutchers are the bottom-feeders of society.
Do you also think that movies about murder and other crimes reflect that the authors enjoy said things or was this comment just a sudden moment of stupidity from you
"The reason he decided to make The Strange Thing About the Johnsons was to get the audience to feel shocked and disgusted at the abuse shown, and to make people realize that it this case of a son sexually abusing his father was so disturbing, we should feel the same exact way when the roles are reversed." - IMDB
@girliedefensor0506 Thank you for some form of explanation. I don't need a film or video highlighting incest and, elderly abuse to shock and disgust me. Real life has examples of sexual abuse every day.
Sexual abuse is likely just as common in men, but the victims are rarely believed, and the ones that know that don’t come forward for that reason. Statistics can’t always be taken at face-value.
OMG....My heart & mind were just .......torn up. There are people in the comments saying this movie is demonic i understand why but i diagree. The act itself is very evil but in my opinion it can open peoples eyes and mind. I know it did to me.
The review/reaction begins at 4:51 I'm glad I watched the full film before clicking on this so, BIG SPOILER warning for anyone who hasn't watched it yet but is still interested in doing so. Instead of premise we get a full plot reveal, then a synopsis. Watch the film then come back.
Omg me and my crush watched this together and it was genuinely disgusting when we understood what this all is, it’s crazy to think that a son can do a crazy thing like that to his father. Especially the scene on what he does on the bath scene. That was actually horrible. And when he says “ Write about that.” And the mother!? My goddess that was betrayal was crazy but she was scared of him or it…. When she throws the paper in the fire and kills her son was a depressing scene. This film disgusts me and everyone i have ever seen for it to be so short.
I wonder if the filmmaker wants the audience to ask themselves the 'how' but not really.. once its revealed the father started abusing his son first. The father was not being abused merely suffering from his decision..too embarrassed because he would be exposed as a pedophile. ❤
Can’t get to the end of the video because it’s making me feel sick. Can anyone please explain what the supposed trigger was for the son acting like this? What happened to him as a child?
He beat his meat and the dad walked in on accident. To make it less awkward, dad was like “Hey man, I get it… beating your meat is normal at your age bc hormones and birds and bees blah blah blah.” And leaves Unbeknownst to him , the son was beating his meat to him and he got the green light basically; even tho the dad didn’t know it was about him. Thus the abuse started.
Him saying this was something his father started made me thing well did the father abuse him 1st. But with how crazy he is his father could have done something innocent, and he took another way.
Why the hell you watch it 3 times? isn’t once enough, it’s definitely a grossly disturbing movie and I question why it was even made, whose mind came up with this, crazy smh
1st time was when someone showed me the film years ago. 2nd time is when I showed friends a couple months after (we were talking about disturbing movies we’ve seen and I was like omg yall have to see this messed up short film). 3rd was for this video.
The role reversal is a powerful tool. Breaking the viewer out of the expected dynamic forces us to process the information in a deeper way.
For me it didn't. It just confuses me, and distorts the message. Wasn't even disturbing nor did i ever feel like i need to take this short film seriously. Due to this, the film falls flat for me, and Joan could have been a real good character, but she just seems one-dimensional.
For me, We need to talk about Kevin does a way better job talking about abusive family dynamics and the aftermath.
@@lorenzreiher1407if you struggle to comprehend it that much then maybe this discussion isn’t for you
@@lorenzreiher1407 For you
@@lorenzreiher1407it confuses you because of your own biases. That’s not anyone else’s problem but yours.
I bet this is some creepy pedo supporting shiiieeett
I just know all the actors involved needed deep therapy after this project.
I felt foolish because never in my life have I thought a SON would molest his FATHER! I sat through this whole thing just Crying for this man who lives in fear of his son! The bathroom scene was horrifying and, you can't blame the Father for the ending. He did what he had to do. So sad.
Cuz I need therapy
I'd only heard about this movie before and this is the first I'm actually seeing any footage of it... is the son in the movie (before he becomes an adult) the brother from ANT Farm? That made this even more weird if so
@@LeopoldLitchensteinyeah it’s him
totally
Soon as the pic of his dad was in his hand i tuened the movie off. And it still haunts me. Now i know the whole story and its still sick.
I was not expecting that.🙄
That is almost like some kind of two-sentence horror story! You could've just ended the film right there and it would've been enough.
I laughed at the photo
@@jeremiahwalker3795that is not funny he goes to his son's bedroom and tell him that is natural okay it's normal for a father speaking to his son about masturbation it's natural what he did okay it's normal to have a conversation with your child when it's about masturbation but he approached his son in a strange manner his son was was masturbating looking at his father's photo these things could and badly and it destroys families relationship is these things are not supposed to happen what concerns the black community right now the black community is messed up 0:48
nothing to be ashamed about brotha
This was ari aster’s first short film which pretty much got him where he is today. His style has always been plots like this and man he excels.
WOW...really?!😮
I really like his movies; however, I didn't know he did this one.
I had heard about it but never knew what it was about at all.
Horrific. 😧
I don’t even need to check the early life on this one
I really need to know if Ari is okay. All of his films are about family trauma.
@@akinaneon-xz6oj its probably his way of expressing his grief through filmao...i dont even wanna know i just hope like you that ari is ok and his films help him grieve properly:(
I’d love to know what the hell he’s got going on in his mind.
EVERYTIME I finally am able to forget this movie, the universe puts it back in my path. It popped up and now I'm cursed all over again!
I feel the same way!! Mista Gg ruined my life with this movie suggestion!! Omfg 😢
It is the most disturbing short film to ever come across.. takes mos to forget!!
Ok?!! I fell for it again and clicked thinking this could be something different
Me too y'all 😢 me too 😔
God same... Why did I do this? 😭
Faaaaaaacts
Ppl not even realizing this is a juxtaposition on the normalized pedos dishing out the child abuse that a lot of children experience into adulthood because of "love". Its so gruesome and unsettling because it has to be, u need to understand what it really feels like for children and families in this situation... This could be perceived as satire, but its really heart breaking.
This also happens with elder abuse which is even more sad and gruesome.
exactly
This movie is actually a fantasy that many predators make up to put the blame on their victim. The director should be looked into.
Sometimes your own blood is worse than the strangers outside.
You have no idea. Who needs Satan when humans are wicked enough on their own, good day to you sir or madame.
Most of the time, it’s your own
Facts
😢😢😢
That "uncle" or "aunt" or your dad's boss. Gross.
Hearing this, I should have known it was Ari Aster. All of his work portrays mental and emotional abuse on a twisted scale.
The love of a parent should not excuse a child behaviour it's sick from start to ending and the mother smh.
Excellent twist on an all too common story! Abuse is abuse…..no matter the role in the family dynamics.
i find that i often see ari asters reasoning for making this movie being misconstrued as “he wanted to make a movie about the most fucked up, disturbing thing he could think of”. thats not what he said. aster set out to make a film that his school would not want him to make, to say the things they wouldnt want him to say. he wanted to find something so taboo that we didnt even realize it WAS taboo, because as a society, we just dont talk about it. and then he made a movie about a family Not Talking About It, that forces you to sit with the question that is the real reason he made this film: why cant we talk about it?
That’s a good point, why can’t we talk about it?
Idk who said we cant talk about pedophilia, weve been for decades and have only been geeting more aggressive towards it. This movie was clearly for shock value and to be edgy
@@cotenaijo3112 dude the movie no one in the movie speaks up are you an idiot? What’s wrong with your media comprehension? 😂
@@cotenaijo3112 the people who _can_ talk about it often times aren't the ones who this sort of media was made for. truly, how can one comment on an experience they themselves have never faced? so many feel they must suffer in silence for the _exact_ reason the film was made: fear. it was meant to be shocking and disturbing because the subject itself is shocking and disturbing.
it's only recently that the opposition of child abuse/paedophilia has come about. still, in a lot of countries including the US, child marriage is legal with parents permission. although, a child cannot sue, divorce, or hold a prosecution until they are 18 -- meaning they are stuck in these marriages until they are of age, even though the law recognizes they could not have the consent to do it in the first place. these rules apply to this day in 2025.
I only bring this up to make a point -- if you didn't know this rule existed, it's because we don't talk about it. and if you did, it means we don't talk about it _enough_
I find it ironic they have just flipped the outcome parents abuse the kids in all pedophilic outcomes in families. This writer has flipped it so the son is the abuser. Pretty clever if I say, considering how prolific the first outcome is
Yeah it’s really original and has a good flip on normality
The scariest part is that there definitely are parents out there that are experiencing this.
This is what makes me suspect the author has a fetish for kids/incest, but this scenario is more socially acceptable, so it's made into a movie for public consumption. The author/creator is probably getting off on making people unwittingly watch their own twisted fantasies, but in reverse format.
@@intpleb4206 100% correct
@@intpleb4206 Ayo what lmao
This movie is so disturbing but when you realize this is a satire for actually sexual abuse between parent and child and if you switch the roles, this becomes horrifying.
It’s not satire?
@@ion6708I could be wrong (please correct me if I am), but satire has two meanings. They mean satire as in like a play/movie
...is it not already horrifying?? And also what about this seems like a joke to you?
this type of abuse does happen. nothing here seems like satire?
Yeah I don't think you know what satire is
This is WILD wild. I have no idea how that movie was even produced
I think it was someone a student film
This is a messed up movie but Ive seen worse
@@JNB520like?
@@isaiahhope5560it was Ari Aster’s student project. He went on to do Midsommar and Hereditary
This video is so good I feel like too many people blame Sydney for the abuse just because he was older when it is clear that he NEVER wanted this to happen and literally how he feels he can’t do anything because it’s his son! He states that in his writing!!
Imagine being and actor and this is your first role
😭😢🤮🤢
It’s made by Ari Aster, the guy who made Hereditary. The actors are all friends from NYU Film School.
It's a powerful film with opportunities for great acting
It's actually a good PSA film. To address to all the terribleness parents that SA their kids. To put their shoes on the people they abuse. It's a subversion but it also seems to be ironic and horrific as it is meant to catch people's attention through the subversion I was talking about
@Varkhal218yeah opportunitys to become the next bill cosbey
This movie is the example of what if Mr Garrison (South Park) actually succeeds to do this to his own father that he always wanted in his childhood.
I thought they hired somebody to pretend to be his father.
@@waves2378his own Dad hired Weird Al to do it instead since like a normal person he thought it was super fucked up and weird so he did that so Garrison would get over it and move on
269th
My cousin told me about this movie when I was a kid and I did not believe it existed. Guess I owe him an apology.
A short film doesn't "prove" reality. Look up actual statistics if you want to see who the majority of victims and perpetrators are. This scenario is not it. More like a fantasy of the writer.
@@IK_4It does happen it’s just not talked about… especially boys and Mother’s… a lot of Mother’s are terrified of their son’s especially once they become teenagers or young adults. It just makes ppl really uncomfortable…
@LilithsCosmicLounge Of course it can happen. Anything can happen "traditional" incest, SA, etc are also underreported. This specific situation is extremely rare, and I'd ask someone to prove that son to father like this even exists. The person who wrote this has a very vivid fantasy. My thoughts on that will not change.
@@IK_4Op didn't believe this movie existed
@@quanghuynguyen7957 I stick by what I said. Which is the truth.
Elder abuse is VERY much a real thing and sxual abuse is not only perpetrated by parents towards children. There are many horrible stories about people who work in nursing homes with the intention of abusing the elderly. Keep your parents safe everyone.
It is a real thing. The famous internet microcelebrity Chris Chan actually went to prison for doing this exact thing to her mother. I've never heard of a son doing this to his own father, but I have no doubt that it occurs.
Bruh, this wasnt an elder. This was a grown ass man.
@@t3hpenguinofd00m His mother was a very sick disturned person by all accounts, including his biological half brother's. In situations like this, there are decades of warning signs and the adults need to be seeking help for their children. It's not a clear cut case of victim/abuser like the reversal would be. The director here went out of his way to whitewash the father of any responsibility.
People need to understand just because someone is older, bigger, among other things doesn’t mean that they can’t be abused.
“Why would you let the son do that?”
Don’t blame the victim, this film shows anyone can be a victim. And because of victim blaming it’s difficult for people to come forward.
I think it plays into the idea that man can't be victims. If Sidney was Isaiah's mother. It would be easier for people to condemn. Ie Chris chan.
So mad the wife didn’t do anything, like wtf I would have knocked my son out. And the fact she burned the husbands book?? That was his story, way out, and closure
To be fair.. If she said something on the wedding day.. Their reputation is gone.
That's why she probably never said or did anything.
But yeah wow she's such an L
@@r7ahtesham885 So she cared about her reputation more than her husband? Lmaooo no excuse. Not “To be fair.”
@@pathetic2399 Hey I agree, wanting to keep your husband's reputation is fine.. But she straight up heard her husband get rapes violently
@@r7ahtesham885that's not fair at all, stfu
burning the book pisses me off
“ hey pops time for din din “
😅😅😅
The hell smh🙁
lmfao
Most disturbing part of the movie
😂😂😂😂
I remember seeing this over a decade ago. It was WILD then and it’s WILD now!
Is it graphic? Do they show any of the abuse?😟
@@chanelhutch it gets graphic without showing too much but you get the point of what’s happening
These comments just SHOWS how ignorant people are when it comes to these types of sexual abuse.
I read the comments and its just talking about how disguisted they were by the movie, i dont see anything wrong with it
The most disgusting thing( any form of abuse) I have ever seen. Could this happen ? but in this sick world , any deviant, behavior, lurks in the dark shadows of people.
The worst part of this film isn't even anything that we see in it. It's the entire fact that we know that somewhere, likely closer than you think, this exact kind of abuse is happening. It's just that nobody likes to think that this is possible or talk about it.
The worst part is that so many kids are abused, and we don’t react the way people did to this
so how was this possible? Was dad disabled somehow? Did he lack any form of physical strength?
How interesting that people are so horrified by this movie. We are so used to situations of a parent engaging in abuse against a child, which is at LEAST as messed up as this dynamic. Maybe that’s the filmmaker’s point - a victim feels powerless, guilty, and often has another family member who doesn’t protect them - as horrible as it feels when the adult is the victim, shouldn’t it be more horrifying that often CHILDREN are victims? Imagine if every abuse story elicited the reaction that this one seems to.
Not to be that person but a lot of these comments kinda solidify my idea that people only see the use of rape and sa in media as sick and disgusting when it’s a man doing it to another man. I never see comments criticizing it like this when the sa includes any other combination.
(Not to say it shouldn’t be criticized, but yall should look into why this movie specifically bothers you when others involving rape normally don’t)
That's sadly true.
There's this manga called berserk (would not recommend reading) , which has Sa of a major female character in it, and to say the make fans are unbearable when talking about the subject is in understatement. Stuff like this is really sad because berserk is such a well written series and yet the fans have little to zero media literacy.
these comments are abysmal
I feel physically ill.
same
Ari Aster has an impeccable way with making his audience uncomfortable because that is the purpose. Discomfort is caused by a boundary you’ve put up be it physically or mentally, rightfully and illogically. It’s a comfort zone that even can be made unconsciously as it is a perceived threat. But, many times, it takes pushing through that discomfort so you can look at something that you refused to think about before. An anxiety, fear, or aspect of reality you’ve avoided as much as you could.
I remember seeing this years ago and I was disturbed and confused at the same time. It was confusing because I couldn’t figure out if it was actually based on a real story or if the film writer was just a twisted individual😂
Thank you for explaining now i dont have to watch this. Physically felt like i wanted to vomit listening to this movie.
This is the most gag worthy story I have ever heard
You have read few then, I believe
This is maybe the one and only time i have been unable to finnish a horror movie. The scene where he confronts the father over the book had my heart racing. What a crazy bold depiction of how abuse is complicated and in being a victim you can be at risk of being called the abuser
Just watched this and found your video from tik tok, you did an amazing job!! It's so frustrating to me that we can't see what happened while he was growing up. I thought Sidney started the abuse until you analyzed the prom night situation. I'm wondering if you have any thoughts about the boy's wife. I know it doesn't show her much, but did you catch any signs that she knew anything? Or was she completely oblivious?
Thank you! I think she was completely oblivious about what was going on with her husband and father-in-law. In the scene where Isaiah broke a picture frame before stating that he was going to hang back and help his parents clean up, she looked at hime a bit funny, but I doubt she had any idea what his true intentions were for "hanging back to clean up". I think she just thought it was a bit strange and she probably thought he was just making up excuses to hang back, but she had no idea what was really happening. But I mean, how could she know, right? Isaiah treated her well enough, he spoke to her kindly, never even raised his voice at her. Isaiah was a master manipulator. Unfortunately, she had no idea who she married.
I felt the wife knew something that night he told her he would be home later.
@@sushisreads2477the documentary on Emmett Till was much more disturbing. FYI.
She would have to be oblivious to marry a gay looking man to begin with! 😅I think they picked the perfect actor for his part
What is the name of this film and where can I watch it?
I cant this is disgusting and demonic at every level.
That's the point. This shit happens irl and the people who suffer through it don't want to talk about it.
It makes me physically ill
Good. "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
Thats "art" as viewed by a deranged coperphile.
Very demonic.
If you feel disgusted, that's the point. It's to hightlight how elder abuse gets swept under the rug.
2 minutes into this movie and i already feel sick
The. Accuracy. You did this such justice. Her complicity is something so many Black children endure.
The people saying this film shouldn't have been made and that it's gross are basically saying they're okay with sexual abuse. SA can happen to anyone and it doesn't matter if the victim is older or younger than the perpetrator or if they're related or not.
How is that saying they're ok with sexual abuse? I'm not defending people who are fine with SA, but are you saying that calling this film gross or disturbing means you're one of those people?
@@darth_hideous-l9q you're right maybe saying they're okay with sexual abuse is a bit of a stretch. I guess i just find it upsetting that other films/documentaries about SA get a lot more sympathy while this one doesn't.
@@Reyvionit’s just displayed very, very differently. other people find it difficult to relate to or even understand and level with this odd, unheard of type of sexual abuse. you just don’t see people talking about this ever.
@@bondutchess it's displayed the way abuse often looks like: manipulation, violence, fear of retaliation, depression, etc. There's nothing "special " or new about the way Sydney is being abused, it's just that he's a father being SA by his son...that's the only difference. People are so accustomed to victims (and abusers) looking a certain way (in age, race, and gender) that they find it difficult to sympathize with victims who don't fit the mold (WOC, men, old people etc). It's why I think films and other media like this are important. People have gotten really comfortable with only having to consider a small subset of SA victims.
What a reach
People in the comments proving for the millionth time that there are cruel truths that nobody is ready to hear.
A lot of the comments on this video confuse the shit out of me. Namely the ones where they find the idea so incomprehensible as to how this can happen. No matted what you believe evil is evil and it will find a way to be evil. Anyone can be born with it and have the tools to do things as messed up as the premise of the film. Its a fuckin insane short film and while i don't want to watch it again it was really good
when i first seen this i just kept thinking about all the children who have been in this situation, to have people who u trusted cause pain like this to use a childs innocence this way smh...i got so enraged i was soo angry.....i really h8 sexual predators
I think that was exactly the point of the film.
What I understand about this short film is it is really showing what happens with parents who do this to children. They flipped the story around to show JUST how heinous it is when it happens.
Yes we have become numb to thing like this. Subverting expectations put us in the victim shoes. It makes us uncomfortable, sick, disturbed & that is how we should always feel no matter who the victim is. It also shows us for every abuser there is also an enabler who assists in the abuse continuing. And even at the end she still burnt the book. Hiding the truth forever. Rather living with the lie.
It was masterfully done!
I cannot think of one benefit that could come from going to see this movie. This and Zoo from 2007, are enough to make you ashamed to be a human. The disgust is REAL.
I think the point of this movie is the reversal element. By making it so outrageous and abnormal, you highlight how normalized the reverse is in some families. The son being the perpetrator is SHOCKING. The mom doesn’t stop the abuse but she knows about it. You pay attention to the film because it’s so different from what you’re used to, however when you take a step back of it and remember the reverse and more common tropes…it’s really highlighting how normalized these relationships can become. Children in these incestuous and pedophilic relationships are often ignored by their families in the same way Sydney is ignore. You reverse their roles and it all becomes clear. I think this was absolutely done on purpose to shine a light on how a lot of families have a sort of “ignorance is bliss” mentality and purposely ignore, hide, and don’t talk about or address abusive and predatory relatives preying on their children so as to not upset the family unit. The reversal is shocking and grips you but it also gets you thinking about the “normal” version of this dynamic-and how “normal” that dynamic is for some families. In this regard, if nothing else, I think it has its merits for this.
What’s zoo 2007? A documentary? a show? Full on movie release? What’s the plot?
If you feel upset by this movie, good. That’s exactly what was supposed to happen. Then don’t be involved in this stuff.
This is extremely well-worded insight. @@NoMereMage
@@almightyswizzidk but if it's gonna be something like a Serbian film I'll pass
You said " This movie was the most disturbing thing I've ever watched in my life, I watched it 3 more times!" Lmfaooo😂😂😂😂
Right smh sicko
I find it gross how a lot of people in the comments are trying to blame the son for him acting that way or saying it was made by a sick individual this is clearly a movie about how anyone can be a victim even if they're older younger family stranger etc no matter who you are anyone can be abused in this way and the people trying to blame the father for abusing him is just trying to justify the sons actions and dehumanize the father because that was clearly never stated or even hinted in the movie
This wasn't made because it's a fetish and it's NOT the fathers fault
When Isaiah told Sydney that he’d started it, I don’t think he meant literally and I don’t think he was trying to gaslight either. I think it goes back to that opening scene and it was a misinterpretation. Like he’d already had attraction toward his father but the talk was like a validator. Sydney was telling him that it was natural and okay and that he didn’t want it to be taboo between them and I think to Isaiah that was one of his justifications for what he did.
god this is such an amazing video about such an interesting piece of art and i cant help but be disappointed and a little unnerved at how many people think this is a disgusting work of disgusting people or some other bs. just because a piece of art makes you(general) uncomfortable doesn't mean it's without purpose and its existence is disgusting and pointless.
Another layer of tragedy that the role reversal adds is if this happened in reality, the public would immediately assume the dad was the abuser.
NOW WHY IN THE HEAVENS WOULD YOU REMIND ME OF THIS FILM ON THIS CASUAL FRIDAY EVENING 😭😭😭😭🙄
You really have a great channel, I may have said it before but seriously thank you for posting. Your vids are so straightforward & inspires me to write.
The director made this film as a Dark comedy literally was his words
More like Dark Tragedy...
the director is a moron. nothing about this is funny.
Girl what?? Never watched the film but this made my stomach turn.
I’m not trying to be ignorant, but how does a grown man, let another grown man, his child, abuse him? How did he let his son control him? It blows my mind.
I feel like shock goes into abuse and you can clearly tell he wasn’t the type to tell or shout and be very I don’t want this no more and listening to her point like leaving his wife behind to abuse her but the only one who was actual at fault was Joan his wife like she attempted nothing twice
Abuse is a very complicated thing. You have to consider, he’s still his son and he doesn’t want to be incriminated for such a heinous crime, and he can’t beat him in combat, he doesn’t want his wife to be exposed to it, there are so many factors. I agree however, too often the problem is fear. People are too afraid to take action. It’s definitely not that simple though.
Because he told he would kill him😊
I think deep down he liked it and he was feeling guilty but the son keep doing it cause he was used to it
@@johnsalas9617what ????
Over 20 seconds in and I’m already disturbed
This is an extremely articulate overview and an incredibly disturbing movie
It was a good movie. But leaves to many questions opened what happened to the mom after killing her son for sex abuse towards her husband/Father and not to mention at the end she burned the other copy of Cocoon man written by the husband/Father about the abuse.
Right! Which could've possibly helped her case, for when the police come.
i don't think it's a stretch to say the mother DIED; inside her head & her soul, she DIED. but burning the manuscript at the end is a VERY strange (& unsettling) turn.
She had to kill her son in self-defense. That was bad enough. Then imagine when people found out her life was far worse and she was a bystander who did nothing. She wanted those memories to die with her and not taint the reputation of her family/husband or the son anymore.
I'm guessing she just didn't want to tarnish her son's memory.
I hate that every time this comes around after who knows how long I’ve gone w/o thinking about it…. I click anyways😭
Definitely the most disturbing film I’ve ever seen too!
Thank the YT algorithm gods.
A Beautiful essay for such a terrifying film, subbed
I think it's a lot like how in the gang ridden communities the parents don't stand up and rein in their kids instead they and the community become victims of them.
3:00 L wife
she isn’t an L wife, she’s a petrified one. she had no choice but to do that, for if she intervened worse could happen to her.
@@kingtonkalover cap. He was never gonna take her booty and there’s nothing worse for a straight man
@@kingtonkalover She wasn't petrified. She just didn't care. She liked the appearance and reputation.
@@kingtonkalover but couldn't she just call the cops?
@@kingtonkalover Shes an L wife L mother L person when the abuse was smaller and just little thibgs she ignored, deflected attention from it and chose to stand by and let it happen. Yes there is nuance but no what she did cannot only be blamed on fear of being hurt
Yeah I HATE that I ever watched this movie. I HATE IT. THAT MOVIE destroyed me.
Yess disturbing
How can one movie destroy you?
I'm less than a minute into this and I can't even finish it. *shuddering*
So disappointing to see people say they dont want to hear about the movie. Yall the " go put some longer pants on" aunts and uncles
Right? So many people not recommending it because it's disturbing not realizing that this form of sexual abuse does exist and are usually kept under wraps because the victims are afraid of what others may think...
I had completely forgotten about this movie. I found it to be incredibly disturbing back then and still do.
This is the most disturbing video. It needs to be scrubbed from my brain
It weird how such things that are creepy would appear in real life too. Like when we watch it on the movie the first time, we think nothing that creepy will happen in real life. But then we hear about it from people we know or on the news, its shatters the perfect world you live in all your life. It was just this year I hear something about a old friend and it real horrified me a lot. It might be a long time till I get over it.
You got to be a sick mind to write something like this
This type of betrayal within families happens all the time somewhere it’ll be happening as I write this comment
Ari Aster is just TOO talented i love him
Welcome to Hollywood. They’re all a bunch of degenerate Luciferian fukwads.
the VERY same thing could be said of those who are addicted to watching men (or women now) in highly choreographed hand-to-hand fight scenes. or "war porn". or 'slasher' flicks.
"fact is stranger than fiction".
YEP...I NEED TO KNOW OF GEORGE R, R. MARTIN'S MIND when he wrote Games Of Throne....like dude....the incestuous shit going on in that series is sickening as hell!!!
HA. This movie was insane. Seriously twisted. Such a wholesome family at the start.
I'm stopping right here at the 0:27 mark and not moving forward because this is far too disturbing for me to process. Someone actually got this "film" approved.
It feels like a sin to even watch this to be honest because when I was done I thought I’ve just sinned no lie something shouldn’t be seen
Why shouldn't it be approved? It doesn't show real sexual abuse. It's not an erotic fiction about sexual abuse (not that those should be banned, because no one is actually abused by fiction). It doesn't glorify it, it shows the pain that comes with it. Pearl-clutchers are the bottom-feeders of society.
@@Varkhal218yeah I FUCKING HATE PEARL CLUTCHERS MAN
@Varkhal218 exactly. thank you😭🙏🏻
Do you also think that movies about murder and other crimes reflect that the authors enjoy said things or was this comment just a sudden moment of stupidity from you
WHY was this film made!!!
EXACTLY....
Because you need it.
"The reason he decided to make The Strange Thing About the Johnsons was to get the audience to feel shocked and disgusted at the abuse shown, and to make people realize that it this case of a son sexually abusing his father was so disturbing, we should feel the same exact way when the roles are reversed." - IMDB
@girliedefensor0506 Thank you for some form of explanation. I don't need a film or video highlighting incest and, elderly abuse to shock and disgust me. Real life has examples of sexual abuse every day.
Because HOLLYWOOD!
No flipping way. What a disgusting premise to dream up.
When an adult tells you there is nothin to watch. They will need trust your recommendations ever again.
Sexual abuse is likely just as common in men, but the victims are rarely believed, and the ones that know that don’t come forward for that reason. Statistics can’t always be taken at face-value.
Whoever came up with this needs to go to TP Studios and demand a writing position
I was actually traumatised
In hindsight, I should've actually listened to the title and not watched this while eating.
wtf .. I can’t unhear this shyt! Wow!😮
This a disturbing film to watch what happens in the house stays in the house does not get healed at all.
OMG....My heart & mind were just .......torn up.
There are people in the comments saying this movie is demonic i understand why but i diagree. The act itself is very evil but in my opinion it can open peoples eyes and mind. I know it did to me.
5:09 Two words…….Chris Chan
I swear, that case was so disgusting and tragic at the same time, like the context of this short movie itself
@@isimsizisim1761 If Ari Aster wants to remake this short as a Chris Chan Biopic I say do it
Only 118 views? this is such a lovely movie commentary
it’s got 60k u happy?
@@99riamthis movie lowkey sucks and it’s weird 😂
311k
400K+ now lol
This was really well made, so messed up
this shit traumatized me bro
Ari Aster never disappoints! This short film was so hard to watch that I couldn't even finish it.
I can say for sure. This was pretty strange.
The review/reaction begins at 4:51
I'm glad I watched the full film before clicking on this so, BIG SPOILER warning for anyone who hasn't watched it yet but is still interested in doing so. Instead of premise we get a full plot reveal, then a synopsis. Watch the film then come back.
Just came across your video, I'm a new subscriber, loved the video ❤
30 seconds in and I'm like NOPE 🥴😂
Omg me and my crush watched this together and it was genuinely disgusting when we understood what this all is, it’s crazy to think that a son can do a crazy thing like that to his father. Especially the scene on what he does on the bath scene. That was actually horrible. And when he says “ Write about that.” And the mother!? My goddess that was betrayal was crazy but she was scared of him or it…. When she throws the paper in the fire and kills her son was a depressing scene. This film disgusts me and everyone i have ever seen for it to be so short.
I wonder if the filmmaker wants the audience to ask themselves the 'how' but not really.. once its revealed the father started abusing his son first. The father was not being abused merely suffering from his decision..too embarrassed because he would be exposed as a pedophile. ❤
the movie never reveals that Dad abused Son ; abusers often lie on their victims -
@nikoblack1272 the second the father did not stop it would then be him becoming the abuser...
This got recommended to me from an Outlast playthrough. I feel like that means something.
Thanks also I’m from tiktok
Hey!
Wow!
Can’t get to the end of the video because it’s making me feel sick. Can anyone please explain what the supposed trigger was for the son acting like this? What happened to him as a child?
He beat his meat and the dad walked in on accident. To make it less awkward, dad was like “Hey man, I get it… beating your meat is normal at your age bc hormones and birds and bees blah blah blah.” And leaves
Unbeknownst to him , the son was beating his meat to him and he got the green light basically; even tho the dad didn’t know it was about him. Thus the abuse started.
Him saying this was something his father started made me thing well did the father abuse him 1st. But with how crazy he is his father could have done something innocent, and he took another way.
it is extremely common for abusers to blame their victims
Thanks, I actually refused to watch this movie because I heard weird stuff was happening. I am actually happy to get a break down of it.
Why the hell you watch it 3 times? isn’t once enough, it’s definitely a grossly disturbing movie and I question why it was even made, whose mind came up with this, crazy smh
You should feel the same way about Tyler Perry movies
Morbid fascination 😅
1st time was when someone showed me the film years ago. 2nd time is when I showed friends a couple months after (we were talking about disturbing movies we’ve seen and I was like omg yall have to see this messed up short film). 3rd was for this video.
I remember coming across this. I wanted to turn it off but I needed to know what happened next lol