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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons

241 statements
46 feature instances
8 referencing feature instances

The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	type	TVTItem
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	label	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	page	TheStrangeThingAboutTheJohnsons
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	comment	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons is a Psychological Horror short film written and directed by Ari Aster as his thesis film while studying at the American Film Institute's graduate school.The film focuses on the eponymous Johnson family: Sidney, a successful poet; Joan, his wife; and Isaiah, his charismatic son. Not much time passes before the film reveals what exactly the "strange thing" about this family is, at which point things quickly go downhill.It premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January of 2011 but gained infinitely more attention following its leaking online in November of that year. Out of the sheer advent of public curiosity towards the aforementioned "strange thing," the film went viral, receiving a polarized mix of reactions from acclaim to disgust.Undoubtedly one of if not the most popular short of Aster's, it alongside Munchausen (2013) helped him get the attention of A24, where his career continued with feature films.As the film's entire plot hangs on the Wham Shot in its opening, all spoilers are unmarked. It is strongly advised that you watch the short first, then come back here.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	fetched	2023-11-06T14:30:09Z
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	parsed	2023-11-06T14:30:09Z
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	processingComment	Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	processingComment	Dropped link to BleedEmAndWeep: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	processingComment	Dropped link to Yandere: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_127fc252	type	Creator Cameo
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_127fc252	comment	Creator Cameo: Ari Aster cameos as Dr. Storm Rickles, Ph.D., who made the "words of encouragement" tape that Sidney is listening to in the bathtub when Isaiah rapes him.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_127fc252	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_127fc252	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_127fc252
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_143b5e94	type	Loose Floorboard Hiding Spot
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_143b5e94	comment	Loose Floorboard Hiding Spot: Sidney has kept a copy of his manuscript hidden under a floorboard.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_143b5e94	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_143b5e94	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_143b5e94
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_154aa477	type	Big, Screwed-Up Family
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_154aa477	comment	Big, Screwed-Up Family: Quite the understatement; one of the squickiest examples of this in recent memory.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_154aa477	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_154aa477	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_154aa477
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_19851b86	type	The Sociopath
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_19851b86	comment	The Sociopath: In public, Isaiah is a charming, successful man with a promising marriage. In private, he is a cold-hearted rapist who has been treating his father as his personal plaything for years and is unwilling to admit that it's his fault for doing so.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_19851b86	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_19851b86	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_19851b86
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1c445e86	type	Poor Communication Kills
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1c445e86	comment	Poor Communication Kills: Sidney does not tell anyone what his son is doing to him in fear of his reputation. He finally decides to confess it in a memoir he plans to publish, but before he can, he gets hit by a car and is killed on impact.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1c445e86	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1c445e86	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1c445e86
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1f6983f7	type	Ambiguous Situation
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1f6983f7	comment	Ambiguous Situation: The origins of Isaiah and Sidney's sexual relationship are unclear, and that's the crux of the film's identity as a psychological thriller. There are a few different interpretations, but they mostly boil down to one of two possibilities: 1) Isaiah is a deeply disturbed individual who has been in love with his own father since puberty, and as such, treats his dad the way an abusive, jealous lover would. Sidney's book explains his feelings of guilt and powerlessness to his wife, as he's been pressganged into an affair by his Psychopathic Manchild son. This is supported by Isaiah's confrontation with his mother, as he's wearing the clothes in his father's funeral portrait. 2) Isaiah is a deeply disturbed individual who was sexually abused by his own father. At some point in the past (the opening masturbation scene would imply puberty), Sidney took advantage of Isaiah's feelings, but Isaiah never outgrew his attraction to his father. Sidney's book is a confession to his wife on how his molesting their son had grown completely out of control. This is supported by Isaiah's accusation that Sidney was the one to initiate it, and thus they're both equally at fault. What little we see of Sidney's book also has him imply that he acknowledges his own guilt and role in the situation.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1f6983f7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1f6983f7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_1f6983f7
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_27ab0123	type	Offing the Offspring
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_27ab0123	comment	Offing the Offspring: Joan kills Isaiah in the end, although it's purely out of self-defense and brings her zero satisfaction.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_27ab0123	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_27ab0123	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_27ab0123
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_2ed5e99d	type	Depraved Bisexual
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_2ed5e99d	comment	Depraved Bisexual: Isaiah appears to have a loving relationship with his wife. However, at one point while he's making out with her, he glares intensely at Sidney, hinting at his larger preference for men, or at least his father.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_2ed5e99d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_2ed5e99d	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_366f3185	type	Book Burning
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_366f3185	comment	Book Burning: A variant involving the paper-only manuscript of Sidney's memoir detailing Isaiah's abuse. He leaves it on Joan's bed, but Isaiah finds it and vows to burn it; he then takes another copy he had hidden beneath the floorboards, which actually does get burned at the end.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_366f3185	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_366f3185	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_366f3185
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_38d12399	type	Teens Are Monsters
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_38d12399	comment	Teens Are Monsters: Isaiah, in spades. At his core, he's a sociopath and a rapist who's been manipulating his own father for years.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_38d12399	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_38d12399	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_38d12399
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3ae6199a	type	Psychopathic Manchild
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3ae6199a	comment	1) Isaiah is a deeply disturbed individual who has been in love with his own father since puberty, and as such, treats his dad the way an abusive, jealous lover would. Sidney's book explains his feelings of guilt and powerlessness to his wife, as he's been pressganged into an affair by his Psychopathic Manchild son. This is supported by Isaiah's confrontation with his mother, as he's wearing the clothes in his father's funeral portrait.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3ae6199a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3ae6199a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3ae6199a
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3c0a4666	type	Noodle Incident
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3c0a4666	comment	Noodle Incident: When Isaiah finds that Sidney's locked the bathroom door as he's taking a bath, he says, "You know how I feel about locked doors!" When Joan confronts Isaiah at the end, she alludes to something that he did on his prom night that had Sidney crying when he drove him home, which indicates just how long the abuse was going on.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3c0a4666	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_3c0a4666	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4d21cd9a	type	Lethal Letter Opener
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4d21cd9a	comment	Lethal Letter Opener: When Isaiah slams Joan into Sidney's desk, she picks up a letter opener sitting there and stabs Isaiah in the chest. It doesn't outright kill him but slows him down enough for Joan to gain the upper hand as their fight continues.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4d21cd9a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4d21cd9a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4d21cd9a
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e3d253b	type	Downer Ending
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e3d253b	comment	Downer Ending: Sidney dies after getting hit by a car. After his funeral, Joan confronts Isaiah, demanding to know the truth, and she is forced to kill him in self-defense when he tries to murder her. Afterward, she burns Sidney's memoir, leaving her as the only one who knows of what her son did to his father as well as the fact that her ignorance of said abuse contributed in part to both of their deaths.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e3d253b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e3d253b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e3d253b
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7c4536	type	Wham Line
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7c4536	comment	Wham Line: Isaiah's Hannibal Lecture to Sidney starts off with some regular victim-blaming (accusing Sidney of being complicit with his actions), but then he begins to imply that he's not as innocent as we've come to expect. Later, he says something even more incriminating:
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7c4536	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7c4536	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7c4536
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7f703c	type	Wham Shot
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7f703c	comment	Wham Shot: The opening scene ends with one that sets the tone of the film hard — the photo Isaiah was masturbating to was of his dad.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7f703c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7f703c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_4e7f703c
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_53c47260	type	You Monster!
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_53c47260	comment	You Monster!: Joan calls her son out for inadvertently killing his father, using the trope phrase verbatim.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_53c47260	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_53c47260	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_53c47260
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_606244c2	type	Parental Incest
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_606244c2	comment	Parental Incest: A one-sided, forced, incestuous relationship between Isaiah and his dad, and a rare example where the child is the abuser and the parent is the victim.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_606244c2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_606244c2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_606244c2
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_657f77e4	type	Caught with Your Pants Down
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_657f77e4	comment	Caught with Your Pants Down: The film opens with Sidney walking in on Isaiah masturbating to a picture. He tries to reduce the awkwardness by giving him a speech about how it's a natural thing to do and then leaves, after which we find out that the picture was of Sidney.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_657f77e4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_657f77e4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_657f77e4
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6d332aea	type	Driven to Suicide
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6d332aea	comment	Driven to Suicide: Possibly; it's not made explicitly clear if Sidney's death via car was accidental or intentional.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6d332aea	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6d332aea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6d332aea
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6dcbe9aa	type	Deconstructive Parody
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6dcbe9aa	comment	Deconstructive Parody: According to Ari Aster, he chose the most socially abhorrent premise he could think of for his senior thesis film to stand in stark contrast to the conventional, "politically correct," and Oscar Bait-y shorts made by AFI's graduating students.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6dcbe9aa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6dcbe9aa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_6dcbe9aa
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_7286e96d	type	Idiot Ball
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_7286e96d	comment	Idiot Ball: If Sidney had been a little more careful with the manuscript to his memoir, the movie would have taken an entirely different path. Instead, he treats it as if he wants Isaiah to read it. With his first copy, he hides it under a pillow but not entirely so that it could be noticed from a couple yards away and lets Isaiah into the room where it is being hidden, albeit reluctantly. With his second copy, he carries it out in the open despite the fact he knows Isaiah is currently in the same house he's in and was already caught by him with the first copy.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_7286e96d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_7286e96d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_7286e96d
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_780a078e	type	Self-Made Orphan
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_780a078e	comment	Self-Made Orphan: Not only did Isaiah accidentally get his dad killed, but he also tried to shove his mother's face into a fireplace after she attacked him.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_780a078e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_780a078e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_780a078e
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_80491c2f	type	"Open!" Says Me
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_80491c2f	comment	"Open!" Says Me: A locked bathroom door is no match for Isaiah, as he has the strength to kick it open.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_80491c2f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_80491c2f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_80491c2f
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_87bb6874	type	Villain with Good Publicity
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_87bb6874	comment	Villain with Good Publicity: Isaiah is a very successful person and is married to boot. Fair to say the memoir is the only thing that would unravel his horrible secret.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_87bb6874	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_87bb6874	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_87bb6874
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_8aa496df	type	Rape Discretion Shot
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_8aa496df	comment	Rape Discretion Shot: The movie does this several times. The first is when Joan sees Isaiah unbuckling Sidney's pants in order to personally pleasure him. The camera moves up to Sidney's uncomfortable face right before the underwear comes down. The second is during Sidney's confessional essay; he appears to be writing down one of the many times he was taken advantage of by Isaiah, but the only thing we see is that the experience "almost tore [his] mouth". The third is when Isaiah rapes Sidney in the bathtub. Right after Isaiah kicks the bathroom door down, the film cuts to Joan watching TV and trying to drown out Sidney's cries by increasing the volume.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_8aa496df	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_8aa496df	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_8aa496df
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_957e5fc2	type	Villainous Breakdown
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_957e5fc2	comment	Villainous Breakdown: Isaiah has a massive one after Sidney is killed.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_957e5fc2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_957e5fc2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_957e5fc2
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_96a33f11	type	Riddle for the Ages
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_96a33f11	comment	Riddle for the Ages: Who really started the abusive incestuous relationship? The film doesn't really delve into the details. Isaiah claims Sidney started it and Sidney's manuscript implies that he's responsible to some degree, but considering Isaiah's position as the abuser and the possibility of Victim-Blaming, the truth is much murkier than that.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_96a33f11	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_96a33f11	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_96a33f11
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_970c790a	type	Big Bad
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_970c790a	comment	Big Bad: Depending on who you ask, Isaiah and Sidney could equally be this. Initially, the audience is led to believe that Isaiah is the villain, due to his sexual abuse of his father, but his Hannibal Lecture to him near the end implies that Sidney abused him first and it snowballed from there. Considering there is no indication of abuse from the father's end, the possibility that Isaiah is simply Victim-Blaming him is still open.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_970c790a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_970c790a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_970c790a
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c1f758a	type	Kill It with Fire
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c1f758a	comment	Kill It with Fire: Subverted; Isaiah attempts to shove Joan's head into a fireplace, but she gets ahold of the nearby fire iron and gets the upper hand in the fight.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c1f758a	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c1f758a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c1f758a
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c4a7090	type	Springtime for Hitler
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c4a7090	comment	Springtime for Hitler: Ari Aster stated that, after seeing past works made by fellow alums, he chose to make the worst thing he could think of at the American Film Institute, which is one of the most respected film schools in the United States but also an industry school that encourages their students to make more safe and conventional movies. Little did he know that many film critics would embrace it more for its genuine merits than its shock values.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c4a7090	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c4a7090	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_9c4a7090
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_aa0ed8a9	type	Look Both Ways
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_aa0ed8a9	comment	Look Both Ways: Justified; Sidney is so torn up by the aforementioned Hannibal Lecture that he runs off in a daze and is hit by a van before he can get out of the way. One could also interpret this as a suicide, which is perfectly understandable given the circumstances.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_aa0ed8a9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_aa0ed8a9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_aa0ed8a9
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b0a529cb	type	Extreme Doormat
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b0a529cb	comment	Extreme Doormat: Overlapping with Pushover Parents; Sidney is this for his son, as he makes little to no effort to stand up to him.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b0a529cb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b0a529cb	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b2af79fb	type	Leave the Camera Running
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b2af79fb	comment	Leave the Camera Running: After Joan is forced to kill Isaiah, the camera lingers on a shot of her sobbing in despair for quite some time.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b2af79fb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b2af79fb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_b2af79fb
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_bec0417c	type	Happily Married
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_bec0417c	comment	Happily Married: To Isaiah's chagrin, Joan and Sidney are happily married to each other throughout the movie.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_bec0417c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_bec0417c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_bec0417c
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c2cedc1c	type	Big "NO!"
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c2cedc1c	comment	Big "NO!": Sidney screams this when Isaiah busts open the bathroom door while he is taking a bath.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c2cedc1c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c2cedc1c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c2cedc1c
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c660bc15	type	Fan Disservice
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c660bc15	comment	Fan Disservice: Apart from the fact that the sexual acts in the film are committed by a son towards his father, Isaiah manages to give oral sex in the most uncomfortable way imaginable, looking more like a rat gnawing through a trash bag rather than a romantic partner, not helped by the fact Sidney is obviously not enjoying the experience.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c660bc15	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c660bc15	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c660bc15
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c83f40d8	type	Bystander Syndrome
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c83f40d8	comment	Bystander Syndrome: On multiple occasions in the film, Joan is made fully aware of Isaiah's abuse of Sidney — either by seeing it firsthand or hearing it — but chooses not to do anything, thereby allowing it to continue. Even worse is that in her final conversation with Isaiah, she reveals that she'd seen the signs of his abuse in Sidney potentially since it began.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c83f40d8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c83f40d8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_c83f40d8
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e071496c	type	Within Arm's Reach
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e071496c	comment	Within Arm's Reach: Isaiah tries to kill his mother Joan by shoving her head into the fireplace. As he's doing so, she manages to grab a nearby fire poker and bludgeon him to death with it.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e071496c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e071496c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e071496c
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e11e88b6	type	Thousand-Yard Stare
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e11e88b6	comment	Thousand-Yard Stare: Joan, at Sidney's funeral; also Sidney himself during Isaiah's wedding, especially when he and Isaiah are behind the fence.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e11e88b6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e11e88b6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e11e88b6
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e1fa333c	type	Hannibal Lecture
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e1fa333c	comment	Isaiah's Hannibal Lecture to Sidney starts off with some regular victim-blaming (accusing Sidney of being complicit with his actions), but then he begins to imply that he's not as innocent as we've come to expect.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e1fa333c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e1fa333c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e1fa333c
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e5e5d228	type	Abusive Offspring
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e5e5d228	comment	Abusive Offspring: Isaiah regularly sexually abuses his own father, Sidney. However, Isaiah's Hannibal Lecture towards the end implies that it was Sidney who started the abuse in the first place, but given how sociopathic Isaiah is, it's ambiguous whether or not that's true.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e5e5d228	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e5e5d228	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e5fd8bc2	type	Hate Sink
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_e5fd8bc2	comment	Hate Sink: Isaiah Johnson is a violent abuser who sexually abused his father for 14 years and later tried to kill his mother after deflecting the blame of his father's death from him.
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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons / int_ef54d219	comment	Footsie Under the Table: Isaiah does this to Sidney during dinner.
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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	African-American Media / int_e74b5bb9
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	Double Standard: Rape, Male on Male / int_e74b5bb9
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The Strange Thing About the Johnsons	hasFeature	Within Arm's Reach / int_e74b5bb9

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