The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011) Review

‘The Strange Thing About the Johnsons’ was the first major project that Ari Aster and future cinematographer for ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Midsommar’, Pawel Pogorzelski, worked together on. The American Film Institute highlights this movie as one of their featured films they present to newcomers at the school. Despite how vile and abominable its premise is, they are proud of it. And rightfully so.

‘The Strange Thing About the Johnsons’ (2011) is a short film directed by Ari Aster and tells the story of an abusive, incestuous relationship where the son, Josiah Johnson (played by Brandon Greenhouse), molests his father, Sidney Johnson (played by Billy Mayo). We learn that Josiah’s relationship with his father from an incredibly early age is aberrant and those feelings have all but grown ever since. Fourteen years later, Josiah winds up in a marriage with a woman but is still madly in love with his dad. Josiah’s mom, Joan Johnson (played by Angela Bullock), catches his son preforming fellatio on her husband and is in such disbelief that she pretends she did not see it. Sidney feels like a prisoner and his escape is through writing poetry, but we see his poetry becoming increasingly dark as his private life bleeds into his coping mechanism. Tensions rise within the family when Josiah discovers that his father is secretly writing about how he is in an abusive relationship and all those suppressed emotions begin to surface rapidly.

This film has garnered plenty of attention on the internet as its overt, wicked themes spur profound reactions in viewers making it a precious commodity in the “reaction video” craze on YouTube. Unfortunately, these videos detract from the brilliance of Ari Aster’s filmmaking abilities.

The visceral imagery in an Aster film has the potential to distract, but there is always more underneath the surface. The tone is set instantaneously as the opening shot of the film is a kid masturbating to a picture of his dad. There is a noticeable sense of dread that encompasses the entire film as we begin to see the father’s life spiral out of control.

The son’s love for his father begins to interfere with both of their marriages to the point where they are inseparable. Every interaction between Sidney and Josiah is full of anxiety and distress. It is clear early on that the dad is fearful of his son and is unsure what Josiah will do after he discovers that his dad has been drafting a book about his abusive son titled The Cocoon Man. There is a confrontation between the two characters in a dark office room and all that you can hear between lines of dialogue is a clock ticking in the background. This tension-building subtlety is Aster’s calling card, thus bring warranted attention to dialogue that is hardly ever meaningless.

The climax of this film is jump started by a powerful monologue by given by Josiah and does an excellent job displaying his twisted view about the world around him. While his motives are morally incorrect, his voice lines are manipulative as he shares blame with his father. It feels wicked and Brandon Greenhouse does an excellent job carrying that tension throughout the film.

The mom plays an intriguing role as she is in the background of this film, yet we feel it is a matter of when, not if she will decide to intervene. We see the denial stage of her grieving process through much of this movie to the point where she will actively tune out the horrors happening within the house. Angela Bullock understands her role and does an incredible job through showing a ton of emotion through little dialogue. Her reactions to certain events are powerful and she draws as much sympathy as her husband.

This film touches on the fear of confrontation. The “Bystander Effect” is real and ‘The Strange Thing About the Johnsons’ does an excellent job depicting that through the mother’s point of view. The father refuses to seek outside help for his problems and chooses to listen to affirmation tapes about the importance of being positive. There is question about how to deal with those who have evil intentions and extending beyond this movie, Ari Aster is notorious for displaying the incorrect methods to deal with grief, tragedy, and loss.

‘The Strange Thing About the Johnsons’ has become one of those “must see” videos on the internet, but that approach to viewing this film undermines its power. Its ability to express intense subject matter so proficiently exemplifies the potential of Ari Aster in cinema. ‘The Strange Thing About the Johnsons’ is able to create lasting imagery through its brilliant cast and writing. This film’s societal impact is monumental, especially considering that it is a short film created at the American Film Institute. Bravo, Mr. Aster.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Click here to watch it!