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Hi! My group of friends and I watched The Shining yesterday and had a long discussion about what it was trying to say, both intentionally and unintentionally. Only one of us had seen the movie before, the rest of us (5 people total) had no idea what the movie was about save for the "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" scene. I had always been under the impression that Jack was a total stranger to the main cast. It came as a shock when I learned that not only was he related to the woman protagonist, but he was the head of the family.
The first sign that something was wrong was when Wendy explained how Jack had mistreated Danny years ago. I thought this was a minor event and that Jack had properly made amends for it. But knowing the genre of movie this was, I knew that event would be coming back to haunt us. When Jack first spoke rudely to Wendy I was caught off-guard. It felt like it came out of nowhere. I'm sure this is how many domestic abuse victims feel at first. Then Wendy warns Danny to be careful around his father. In very few circumstances can someone say that and still have a healthy family dynamic. When Danny appears with marks on his neck, Jack is not worried, while Wendy is panicking and blaming him. When she finally says she wants to leave the hotel, Jack screams at her. From there the movie becomes straight up horror with the father finally losing it and going ax-crazy.
However, I think the real horror lay in those first dozen minutes or so of the movie, where the reality of many domestic abuse cases was shown. As Jack cut the radio and vehicle, one could feel the isolation and fear that Wendy must have felt. In many domestic abuse cases this situation is common. The abuser will isolate the victim as much as possible so that they have no choice but to remain with the abuser. One friend made the point that the abuse creeps up on the family. Jack isn't immediately belligerent and demeaning. The fact that he swore off alcohol after hurting his son is proof that he did have at least some true love for his family.
The one friend from the watch party that saw the movie let us know that Wendy's character received the Skylar White treatment from viewers. She was ridiculed and denounced as weak. I think this is an interesting look into how abused individuals are often seen as weak-willed and dumb for sticking with their abusers, or from just being abused in the first place. "You should have known better".
The movie was not at all what I thought it would be. I was amazed at how much of the horror was rooted in reality. The Shining fan of the group let us know that Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick butted heads over the movie and its focus on the abuse rather than the supernatural. I think there's a place for both interpretations of the story. I think the movie's interpretation can save lives as abused partners see their situation represented on the screen, in a horror movie no less. Maybe they'll see the horror that lies right in their homes.
submitted by /u/Uynia
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The first sign that something was wrong was when Wendy explained how Jack had mistreated Danny years ago. I thought this was a minor event and that Jack had properly made amends for it. But knowing the genre of movie this was, I knew that event would be coming back to haunt us. When Jack first spoke rudely to Wendy I was caught off-guard. It felt like it came out of nowhere. I'm sure this is how many domestic abuse victims feel at first. Then Wendy warns Danny to be careful around his father. In very few circumstances can someone say that and still have a healthy family dynamic. When Danny appears with marks on his neck, Jack is not worried, while Wendy is panicking and blaming him. When she finally says she wants to leave the hotel, Jack screams at her. From there the movie becomes straight up horror with the father finally losing it and going ax-crazy.
However, I think the real horror lay in those first dozen minutes or so of the movie, where the reality of many domestic abuse cases was shown. As Jack cut the radio and vehicle, one could feel the isolation and fear that Wendy must have felt. In many domestic abuse cases this situation is common. The abuser will isolate the victim as much as possible so that they have no choice but to remain with the abuser. One friend made the point that the abuse creeps up on the family. Jack isn't immediately belligerent and demeaning. The fact that he swore off alcohol after hurting his son is proof that he did have at least some true love for his family.
The one friend from the watch party that saw the movie let us know that Wendy's character received the Skylar White treatment from viewers. She was ridiculed and denounced as weak. I think this is an interesting look into how abused individuals are often seen as weak-willed and dumb for sticking with their abusers, or from just being abused in the first place. "You should have known better".
The movie was not at all what I thought it would be. I was amazed at how much of the horror was rooted in reality. The Shining fan of the group let us know that Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick butted heads over the movie and its focus on the abuse rather than the supernatural. I think there's a place for both interpretations of the story. I think the movie's interpretation can save lives as abused partners see their situation represented on the screen, in a horror movie no less. Maybe they'll see the horror that lies right in their homes.
submitted by /u/Uynia
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...
