Sissy (2022) horrifyingly cathartic revenge fantasy

Plot summary:

Sissy is a 2022 Australian indie psychological horror film starring Aisha Dee in the title role as Cecilia (aka Sissy), a successful social media influencer who is invited to a bachelorette weekend by her close childhood friend before it turns into a nightmare.

My thoughts:

I found the film disturbingly satisfying. Having faced my share of exclusion throughout adolescence, there were so many moments when I actually winced in pain. Ouch. Those subtle yet strategic stabs, delivered with an air of innocence ... by people one would not immediately suspect of malevolence. You see, it's easy to vilify the skinny, conventionally pretty blonde. That type has been the low hanging fruit for the mass produced teen dramas and comedies. In reality, bullies do not always look like the proverbial Regina George. Sometimes they have a little bit of meat on their bones, are in a same-sex interracial relationship (which automatically scores them moral points), like Emma and Fran, and talk about empathy and tolerance. Sometimes they have physical limitations like Jamie. These are not the typical aggressors that come from a place of bottomless privilege. They position themselves as somewhat marginalized ... which kind of unties their hands to commit acts of relational cruelty. In many cases, people from historically marginalized groups feel almost entitled to cast the first stone. And sometimes the principal bully, who does most damage, does not initiate acts of aggression but stands compliantly. 

Faces In the Water: a smart victim bleeds in all the right places ...

Greetings, commies!

Hope you had a fabulously dark anti-Valentine's celebration. Your queen of disaster and cynicism has a new treat for you. Check out my latest novel Faces In the Water. 

Dr. Sheila O’Neill is a young English Lit professor at a mediocre college, ostracized for her unfashionably right-wing views and crude jokes. Lacking allies in the workplace, she vents to an online friend Jake, a reclusive autopsy technician who shares her cynical worldview. A sinister bond forms out of their virtual banter.

With Jake’s encouragement, Sheila starts writing a historical novel about a disfigured Anglo-Irish noblewoman trying to survive in 17th-century Paris amidst religious paranoia. The novel is intended to boost Sheila’s career and set her apart from her vindictive colleagues. Plunging into the world of her suffering heroine, Sheila becomes enchanted by the idea of victimhood and the hidden perks that come with it. As lines between fiction and reality blur, she discovers that deformity can take you farther than conventional beauty.

Traumatika: a male demon behind the tormented woman

Synopsis:

Touted as "a demonic masterpiece," Traumatika follows a young boy whose night terrors come to life when his mother succumbs to a terrifying possession-unleashing a horror that will haunt him for life and claim countless souls across generations.

My thoughts:

If you enjoyed Pierre Tsigaridis' "Two Witches", examining the demonic feminine, "Traumatika" is a logical sequel, this time adding a masculine demonic figure to the mix. Like David Lynch, the director creates two-part narratives (think "Lost Highway" and "Mulholland Drive"). My primary complaint is that the character of Abigail is turned into a dumping vessel for trauma. Too much at once. Medical complications, facial differences, domestic violence with a resulting pregnancy, self-administered abortion, demonic possession, suicidal inclinations - all too much for one person. After you see Abigail's body channel all that pain, you wonder what was the last straw. At some point you don't see a person. You see one open, oozing wound. And of course, the perpetrator of all that pain is male. Too much is done at once for shock value. That being said, I look forward to seeing this director's repertoire develop.