The Strange Thing About the Johnsons

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. I won't spoil anything but you've never seen any disfunctional family themed films like this one, it's very original. It's also quite horrifying to actualy think that something like what you witness in this short could happen in real life, if you like well made original short films which leave you gasping in terror have a look at "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons.

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. Indeed, one of the most compelling things about the film is to note how several of the elements that made his best-known films outstanding were already part of his poetics from the very beginning. 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. So yes, Ari Aster's university professors most certainly hated him.

While acerbic, Aster did as good a job with the small budget at his disposal as in handling the theme. For example, you can see how the gimmick of one of the most iconic sequences in Hereditary began to develop in this very movie (where it is used due to the actual practical impossibility of shooting a certain scene). Some lines of writing are really sophisticated, as is the attention to the emotional reaction to the traumas of the different characters, and all the actors involved were perfect in their parts.

If you saw Hereditary or Midsommar or both, well here's where the director started and boy is it messed up! The 30 minute film is very well done but the concept will boggle your mind. This film is DEFINITELY not for everyone. It is an interesting perspective that I have never seen on film before but be warned it is quite disturbing. Fortunately for me, I am a big fan of disturbing films. If you are not, you should probably avoid this one.

Let's be real here... Short films don't really have a place in the world in terms of global mass media. 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.) Ask any 'normal person' who doesn't know who David Lynch is, or doesn't have a strong opinion on the films of Hitchcock, if they can name just ONE short film... And I'd bet a million bucks they can't. name. one. My point is...

The Strange Thing About the Johnsons defies this rule.

The Strange Thing About the Johnsons is the only short film I've ever seen that I can show someone who isn't a 'film person' and they are completely engaged from the very first scene, to the very end, every - single - time. It's the ONLY short film that - MULTIPLE TIMES - I have told people about in a living room, and they become so enticed, we whip it out on someone's computer screen, and in the midst of a large hang out session, 9 people are so completely transfixed for nearly 30 minutes, and ALWAYS walk away with a strong visceral reaction.

Ari Aster is a Great director who understand precisely what makes the world wide audience sit on the edge of their seats. The original soundtrack by Brendan Eder is unforgettable in its use of beauty over the sadistic nature of the characters. Billy Mayo delivers a indelible disturbing performance with unnerving authenticity.

In 20 years, The Strange Thing About the Johnsons will STILL be one of the only short films you can sit a big group of people -- (the kind of people who've never been to a film festival in their life, aka 98% of all world movie watchers) -- a big group of people down in a living room and play, and NO ONE will pull out their phones from boredom. It is, without a doubt, if there ever was such a thing...

A short film masterpiece.

An ordinary family and a secret. Across decades more and more hideous, terrible . Obvious, the worst ,sustaining a solid story who is only a kick to self interrogation for audience.

Maybe not exactly the subject, taboo , sensitive and easy to ignore for preserve a form of innocence is the provocatiive , but the bizarre perspective , intensified by the virtues of film, from script, tension or acting, opening a sort of Pandora box because this kind of vulgar, horrible things must remain hidden in each circumstance.

And this makes the film be not exactly another good homosexual one , or story of abusive, spoiled young man terroriying his father , but a film about family and the relations defining it, about parenthood and relation father - son.

Shocking ? No doubts ! But, in essence, pretty realistic , the confrontation mother - son reminding this after a too long period of silence with virtue of acceptance.