when escape starts to feel more real than real life
Why do comforting escapes sometimes start to feel more real than our actual lives? This reflection explores escapism, dissociation, comfort shows, scrolling, and the emotional pull of imagined worlds through the film I Saw the TV Glow.
the emotional relief of certainty: why black & white thinking can feel so comforting
Why does certainty about other people feel so emotionally relieving? Using the film Mickey 17, this post explores black and white thinking, snap judgments, and the discomfort of sitting with ambiguity and complexity in other people.
why low self-worth can linger long after trauma
Many people know they didn’t deserve what happened to them — but still struggle to feel worthy of better. Using the film Mickey 17, this post explores how trauma and repeated dehumanization can shape self-worth long after the trauma has ended.
nope (2022) & the pressure to laugh things off
Why do we sometimes laugh off painful experiences, even when they genuinely hurt us? A reflection on Jordan Peele’s Nope (2022), trauma, family stories, and the pressure to adopt the “acceptable” version of events.
nope (2022) & the human need to be believed
Sometimes we tell painful stories repeatedly because part of us is still trying to convince ourselves they really happened. A reflection on Nope (2022), trauma, and the need to be believed.
why we romanticize past relationships
Why is it sometimes so hard to let go of a relationship from our past? A reflection on love, memory, and the tendency to romanticize what we’ve lost, through the lens of Past Lives (2023).