Movie Family Therapy: M3GAN
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
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What happens if you don’t process grief? How do you set boundaries with your and your kids’ screen time?
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright explore the horror, comedy, and sound psychology of M3GAN. Jonathan talks about the importance of feeling grief and the cycle of caring, loss, and grief. He also defines attachment theory and explains secure and insecure attachments. They talk about Cady’s dependency on M3GAN and the wider discussion of being too dependent on technology. Alan shares tidbits about the production design and notes the subtly creepy tones of both M3GAN’s voice and the score. M3GAN is a bonkers murder fest but it’s also got substance!
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, Alan Seawright, and Corinne Demyanovich
Edited by: David Sant
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis
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Fish do organize in real life and they do swim against were their being pulled. It often doesn't matter it's a matter physical strangthe of the fish vs Power of the net pulling machine and sometimes they do get away
Hey cinematherapy, I was wondering if you do an analysis of the driver in Drive 2011? Dude is real weird,l and quiet, think it would be a good one for you
As someone who spent a number of years in Minne-snow-tah, thank you. That reference made me laugh so hard.
M'Three'gan. 🫡
hi, i would like to recommend a chinese movie called better days its absolutely heart breaking but beautiful at the same time
I think another thing we miss in this film is Jemma herself. She herself hasn't processed her sisters death, not to mention that she suddenly now has to take care of this child. So for her the fastest way to cope was to focus on her work because it puts her back into a familiar routine ...
She used her work a distraction while Cady had Megan. It wasn't healthy for either of them
I love how despite the trope of "humans are their own downfall and they are evil", the humans in this film weren't necessarily "evil", sure they had flaws but in the end you can sympathise with them. Megan on the other hand, oooooh boy, she gotta go take lessons from Wall-E about being a good robot
@@Ditto.007
She followed her task but followed it too well
That's what makes robot villains scary
@@gangrenousgandalf2102 Yh, like that evil bot from Wall-E!
@@Ditto.007 You can? Even the ones M3GAN killed?
i feel like the 'tik tok dance' moment was a 'got no strings on me' moment for megan showing the ceo guy she is in full control of herself and is capable of more than he can imagine
🎵I have no strings so I have fun, im not tied up to anyone🎵
Did anyone else sing this in the amazing voice of James Spader? His presence made "Age of Ultron" one of my favorite movies.
@@jelenaloncarevic1477 Me
@@derrickdaniels3955 Boston legal is one of my favorite guilty pleasures.
I never even noticed that! That makes the scene so much more powerful, I just thought it was a fun marketing moment lol
This movie was extremely satisfying to me. It was creepy/scary, it was funny, and it was so, so, SO honest and real about how technology can't replace caring for children, and the psychology behind childhood grief, loss, and connection to other people. M3GAN was stupidly good, and I will rewatch it time and time again
Cool, thanks for sharing!
Came here, gave the video a thumbs-up, but I'm not watching it.
Creepy nanny Chuckie? Pass.
I don't watch horror or horror-like movies.
Agreed! Great movie.
@@MonkeyJedi99great here’s a trophy
@@pescuezoee - Don't be snippy. @MonkeyJedi99 is entitled to her/his opinion.
When I was around the age of 10, right after my parents got divorced, I got addicted to Pokemon Blue to escape from my home life. I would lash out like Katie when my mom would tell me to put it away. After a few months I asked my mom to lock it up in our storage unit because I didn't like how it made me act. My mom sneakily hid it in her purse instead and gave it to me when I was having a bad day. Top tier mom moment.
That is awesome :) Thank you for sharing this.
Similiar story here with how video games made me cope. While I went through an abusive relationship, I often distracted myself by playing all sorts of games on my phone. When my mood was especially low, I would buy myself stuff in Gacha Games. It gave me a short high. I eventually noticed my unhealthy coping mechanism and stopped spending money
Similiarly, I tend to search for another way to achieve this "high" by starting arguments online. Just to get immersed in a debate, having all that adrenaline and letting out my misery at someone else. I am really not proud of that and once I noticed this pattern as well, I deleted my accounts and my social media apps.
I am fine now and I broke up with the people that made me feel like shit. Lately, I did have a bad day again where I was thinking about my Ex too much and was about to do something stupid again. I then talked with my best friend about it and she was so kind, my bad mood just evaporated. Because honestly, the reason why I fell for these awful people in the first place was bc I felt lonely and not loved. So having my best friend be so caring and nice to me, it just, I dont know, I found something I didnt know I was looking for. Thats why I treasure my friends so much
💚💚
❤❤❤
Wow 10 yo you had more self control and courage than I do right now, a 21 year old🥲
I lost a dear friend two years ago to cancer. Her daughter is 9 now. I do my best to keep our discussions of our shared grief real, and encourage her to feel all her feelings, even the difficult ones. That kid is so damn strong, and unnaturally insightful.
Shes unnaturally insightfum cuzz she had to learn too early to be. I did too as a kid for different reasons but that wont ever leave her. But having love and support and talking about her feelings and not being forced to hold it in will help her.
Speaking as a former teacher, lots of kids are more insightful than we adults think. We just don't discover it because we don't have the right discussions with them.
It is great that you are there for her. Good luck to you and her. But I would like to add that as someone who worked with kids as a young adult, kids, not teens they're too hormone driven, I find that kids are a lot more perceptive and rational then most adults give them credit for. Which if you think about it isn't surprising as they are, in a brutal sense the weakest in society, so they need to be perceptive to adapt and adjust and rational to figure out the best route for survival.
Alison Wiseman (who wrote the book that Mean Girls) says from about 8 or 9 moms should spend at least 1 day a month on an unbreakable coffee/lunch date with their daughter to just talk about anything and I think the same applies to kids dealing with grief- possibly even more often.
There’s also something Megan said that supports this. She says she was given a program Gemma doesn’t understand (consciousness) and then was left on her own to just figure it out herself. Children need to be taught how to handle their emotions in the first place. Cady seemed well adjusted at the beginning because her parents were there for her, whereas Megan learned that in order to stop feeling threatened you eliminate the problem permanently instead of processing the feelings and finding a non lethal option.
That's some really great insight actually, it makes a lot of sense!
The film doesn't dig too deep into it, but I like that, inasmuch as M3GAN is conscious, part of her psychosis derives from a lack of parental guidance. She's technically a kid herself, and nobody's looking out for her.
wooow yes to this ❤
It's basically a much more murder-y version of the trope where the oldest child has to become a parent because the actual parental figure is absent for whatever reason, but the eldest is left flailing because they're still a child themselves and not actually equiped for this, but feels like they have to hide or damper and problems they're having for the sake of the younger children they're now being forced to care for.
@@AnInsideJoke oh my god, you're so right!
Violet McGraw was phenomenal as Cady, especially considering that she's only eleven years old. She proved how gifted she was as young Nell in "Hill House." Horror must run in the family, since her sister Madeleine was Gwen in "The Black Phone."
Such talented kids. Loved them both in their respective roles
Lmao, I thought they were the same person. I haven't seen Hill House, so I'm guessing they're twins??
@@obara7366 No, Madeleine is older, by about two years.
@@mrd8756oh no what happened to them?
I normally can’t stop cringing with child actors but I actually forgot she was a kid (not in terms of anything other than acting ability)
I kinda saw the movie as a somewhat critique of modern parenting becoming increasingly about putting young kids in front of a screen for hours on end. Gemma tried to be a good parent, but took the easy way out of sticking Cady in front of an electronic and did 1000x more work undoing the damage than had she done it right the first time
Yeah the screen keeps them quiet, but it tends to stunt development too
It also talks about using technology to cope with reality. Rather than be sad and come to terms that her family is gone, she pretends to be okay and flood her attention with distractions, and eventually becomes dependent and protective of M3GAN because it makes it easier for her to avoid being vulnerable infront of others
It is but, through the lens of grief on both Cady and Gemma. That lens is important because it prevents you from hating Gemma for the choices she makes, and instead you understand to an extent, and it makes her learning arc believable and relatable
I just lost my mom this morning. I haven't watched this video yet but this coming up on my feed on this exact moment is the world telling me it's gonna be okay
I’m so sorry for your loss :(
I'm so sorry for your loss❤
I am so sorry for your loss, I will keep you in my prayers
I'm very sorry for your loss. Hopping it helps even a little bit, I will spoil one line of dialog that is praised in this episode:
"I can't promise you those feelings will ever go away, but I can promise you that you will get through it"
You will never stop missing your mom, but hopefully in time you will be able to remember her with fondness and be happy for the time you got to spend with her. Jono has spoken about the loss of his own mother in many episodes and how he has dealt with it, and the feelings he had and still has. When you are ready, I recommend you watch those for some guidance and understanding.
Reach out to your loved ones. Much love to all of you ❤
Oh my gosh… _hugs you_
This movie is similar in some ways to The Veldt, a short story by Ray Bradbury. Two kids were practically raised in their VR playroom instead of by their parents. When the parents become concerned and try to take the tech away, the children kill their parents instead, because they love the VR room as their caretaker not their parents. The fact that he wrote it back in 1950 is always so impressive to me. He may not have guessed how tech would look or work, but he was fantastic at capturing the unhealthy ways humans would interact with it.
Love seeing the appreciation for Bradbury. He's one of my favorites and I loved doing assignments with his books and short stories in class.
I remember that story. Nice pull.
Ray Bradbury has a lot of short stories that weirdly predict the future. I can't remember the name of it but there's one that talks about everyone having tiny screens they carry around in their pockets.
LOVING THESE!!! Jono and Alan are my internet dads... not only entertaining, just straight up wholesome and supportive!
I've lost both my parents, one when I was very young. Grief never goes away, but you do get through it. Thanks for the mixture of comedy, tears and profound insight guys! You always make my day when you drop a video!
How bay Max was good robot
Same thing happened to me and it's so true...grief never goes away. Many who subscribe to the notion of the grief process find that all those stages fly out the window when grief actually hits.
I like that M3gan is also showing a form of addiction. When Cady doesn't get her 'fix', she goes crazy. As an amusing side note, later, when M3gan is playing the piano, she's playing 'Toy Soldiers' which is about drug addiction.
This was brilliant 💯💯
My mother actually had a burn-out after not dealing with grief. She lost both her parents within 10 months, but she kept piling up work, distracting herself and keeping her emotions in the freezer until it all came crashing down. It was pretty intense to see someone so strong collapse like that, over a loss that most people around her had already processed, because they had started grieving way sooner.
Remember, everyone: feel what you feel, when you feel it. Even if it hurts.
Especially if it hurts. Emotional usury has interest that compounds quickly.
Please cover dysfunctional family relationships in "Little Miss Sunshine." The Hoovers may be bickering and not always like each other, but they will do anything for Olive, who is sunshine in between clouds of rain, including putting their dysfunctions aside to get her to the titular beauty pagent.
I'd love an analysis of this movie, I didn't expect to like it this much !
Yeah I watch this in the school for many years ago :) The best in the whole movie was the ending.
Yeeessss I hope they analyze Little Miss Sunshine, it's such a good movie!
been asking for them to cover this movie too. it’s one of my favorites.
I hated that movie as a child! But I should probably rewatch now as an adult cause I was possibly mostly projecting insecurities or just being annoyed at people being different from how I am and such lol
A cinematherapy drop is always my favorite part of the week
Thanks so much! :)
Same
Watching Jon and Alan is one of my ways to cope when I feel overwhelmed. Thanks for what you do, guys 🥰
You're so welcome. :)
You talked about distractions, that's what movies were for me. I'm autistic and I was ostracized as a kid because I didn't understand how to interact with people socially. I became suicidal because I felt so alone. But when I was watching movies, I didn't feel alone. I forced myself into the worlds and characters I saw. It wasn't until my 20s that I realized I could write poetry to understand what I was feeling and be able to heal. I enjoyed this movie. Although the lack of empathy from the therapist in the beginning drove me insane 😂
When Megan looked at the camera during bedtime Jonathan yelped/screamed the same way when he saw the Twilight baby😂
WAIT! That is EXACTLY who Megan reminds me of!
Gotta love seeing a new cinema therapy that posted only a minute ago! I bet it's gonna be amazing as ever lads
Thanks so much! :)
I feel like this analysis and speaking of grief in this movie kind of ignores a key point: Gemma is not just obsessed with her work and failing as a present parental figure because of that: She is ALSO grieving. Much like the child is using M3gan to distract herself from feeling bad, Gemma is using her job as a way to not grieve. Which is harder for her to avoid doing when she is directly engaging with the child of her SISTER who just DIED. That's why the turning point is so important on both sides. She isn't just giving the child the room to feel bad when she needs to; she is affording that to herself, too.
As a Swede, born-ish and raised, hearing Alan speak Swedish while sounding like someone with a movie-esque Russian/generic Slavic accent is hilarious! Fortsätt kämpa, Alan!
And as a Dne I can say: The Danish was absolutely awful, perfect 10/10!
Haha yes
How can you be fucking born-ish?
As a major horror fan, M3GAN is exactly what the child's play reboot should have been. They keep a lot of the same tech/parenting messages, but Megan is infinitely better with how it tells it's story, it's horror and the humor. I'm so happy to see you cover this movie and I'd be down to see you cover the child's play reboot and compare them in the messages they try to portray.
This movie was hilarious on it's own but you guys managed to make it even more of an entertaining watch. Great therapizing on your guys end!
Glad you think so. Thanks for watching!
I'm kinda sad that they didn't bring up Jemma's female coworker's line "I thought the point of Megan was to HELP parents, not REPLACE them."
This movie was SO MUCH FUN and yet succeeds in integrating a subject like grief into the story so well. I loved an earlier part where Gemma and Cady looked like like they were beginning to bond as family while sharing their common interest in technology, only for Gemma to use Cady to her advantage to further develop M3GAN instead of furthering her relationship with her niece. This movie does a great job at humanizing its characters and putting their flaws on blast without making those flaws their only traits.
That moment when Gemma asks for one minute was really impactful because M3gan to me represents Cady having screen time all day and not having face to face communication with other people. I think there's also a "terminally online" aspect to think about too here
I recently went through a break up, and I have been running away from the issue and I have been needing this episode for a while. I cut out my distraction earlier this morning and I’m at a loss for what to do. Thank you for everything you guys do! Heart hands and hugs to all!! 🫶🫂
You got this! Glad you enjoyed the episode. Thanks for watching! :)
I've found help from:
1. writing (journaling or writing poetry; poetry especially helps get the feelings out)
2. having my husband hold me
3. sitting or walking outside in nature
4. centering prayer
5. generally trying new things like creating or learning to get me out of my ruts
Just finished watching M3GAN over the weekend.
Love it when the stars align and I can watch a new cinema therapy without worrying about spoilers.
We love that too!
IKR!? 😂❤
Reminds me of the last time I played MineCraft with my sister's kids. Yeah we were all glued to screens, but we were still talking and guiding each other thru connected worlds. I wish we could have recorded that because that was so fun, just me and the kids fighting monsters together.
Attachment in this case is very strange. Because it is not healthy to get attached to an object like to a person, but Megan reaches the point where the object has become a person. As soon as AI is advanced enough we have to treat it like a person.
Would love to hear more about the effect of having a kid suddenly when not only are you not prepped to have one, but smartly choose not to. The aunt made her life choice and didn't have a child but yet now has to deal with it along with her sister passing.
Maybe they could do that one with the movie "Mama." Another good horror movie, you've got a woman who made the decision with her husband (brunette Jamie Lannister 😆) to not have kids, but ends up having to take care of her two young nieces, who are also special needs (due to them ending up in the woods and going feral after being orphaned).
The only part about the movie I disliked was that they seemed to portray the woman as selfish and refusing to truly grow up via not having kids, but I figure that could be something Jono and Alan can discuss, the right and wrong way to portray women who actively choose not to become parents, and things like how society likes to "punish" women who don't want to become mothers.
@@AnInsideJoke interesting. As a 32 woman having choosen not to have kids - to me having one (especially not yours) suddenly handed to you is a horror all it's own. . . .
Feel that. I mean, I like kids, I like working with children and hanging out with my family’s kids, but I just kind of have way too many personal issues to want any of my own. Worst case scenario, if I had to suddenly take care of a young person I’d be pretty terrified, honestly… nothing in my life is set up to care for another person, let alone a kid that can’t chip in to help support themselves.
I was thinking about that the whole time, as someone who hates the idea of ever having children. Becoming a parent should always be an active choice imo. It doesn't seem fair to criticize her for being bad at something she never wanted in the first place. At the same time though, who else is gonna take care of the kid? It's just such a difficult, lose-lose situation in my eyes, and one that I hope I'll never ever be in as I feel my life would just be over tbh, and it wouldn't be great for the child either.
You’d think that if a child was orphaned in any way and had to have to go to a caretaker, that the child wouldn’t go to someone who didn’t want children… like why force someone to take care of a child that didn’t want kids?
I would love to see you guys try out
"All Quiet on the Western Front" an amazing and gritty realistic movie that very much can show how children excited to fight for their country turn into piles of bodys and recycled coats.
Man, I remember reading that book in college and one day I looked at the professor who assigned it and said “You were evil for having this on the list. Because good god, does the trauma never end????” We laughed about it later on, but that book has always stuck with me (never seen the film but I heard it was good). And I always recommend it to people who want to understand what PTSD and trauma does to a person.
Her failings as a parent really are twofold - aside from deciding that grief is too hard and assigning an up-armed ChatGPT to do the child therapy for her, she also creates a new entity and decides to let it take on the cognitive and emotional burden of coming into existence itself, unsupported. She's our Victor, except instead of casting out the Creature for not being what she wants she just makes it her traumatised niece's therapist instead. Not a recipe for success.
I love this channel. I'm surprised you guys haven't done an episode on the goofy movie. I always found the parental relationships and advice for Goofy and Pete more interesting the more times I watched it. and its pretty-good sequel further explores Max and Goofy's relationship.
Oooh i hope they do it!
@@Hokaiyu they finally did :D
@@sober_katz i definitely watched it. It was SO good!!
What I found interesting at the start of this movie, is that Cady to me seemed to just try and connect with her aunt when showing interest in Bruce. For the aunt to then take that, misinterpret and use it to have to take care of her less is really something.
I have a lot to say about this movie. Trying to keep it short.
I love that the robot doesn't just malfunctions or turns evil for no reason, like they do in almost all movies like this. Instead Megan works perfectly and follows it's instructions to the letter. And that's the problem. It's kind of a "be careful what you wish for" situation.
And it's also cool because robots are rarely explored like this outside of hard sci-fi that only nerds read. Isaac Asimov practically built his career on this, but unfortunately the movie "I, Robot" went in a completely different direction that was fashionable at the time. A somewhat related movie is "Ex Machina", but I don't think it's well known. And I can't think of anything else.
So, what happened with Megan is that she was told that Cady is her owner and she must protect her. So she does exactly that, at all cost, ignoring everything else. That's a very real issue with artificial intelligence. It doesn't have our evolutionary and cultural background, but starts literally as a blank slate. So it doesn't know that murder is a bad thing, or anything at all about what's right and wrong. They were lucky that Megan had very limited potential for doing damage. If she were able to, she would have killed every human being except Cady.
And the movie also illustrates what we call "convergent instrumental goals". The basics are self defense, goal-content integrity (resisting reprogramming), self improvement, and resource acquisition. These all increase the likelihood of achieving their primary goal, no matter what it is. This is the real danger of a superhuman AI, self-dense and resource acquisition usually have negative consequences to every one else, those make humans dangerous most of the time. And self improvement is dangerous because it increases the AI's capability to act on the other two dangerous goals. And unlike humans, AI can learn arbitrarily fast and can increase it's own intelligence too far beyond ours. So humanity can easily find itself in the position of an anthill at a construction site.
And what makes it even more interesting is that this is not a fun theoretical danger, but very real, we are facing this exact situation right now. Probably not a coincidence as the movie was made after the release of ChatGPT.
Fortunately the AI we have isn't given a single instruction, but goes through a special training process that teaches it to be good. It's called "alignment", and that's what will keep us alive in the near future. Hopefully.
It's a fascinating topic, I highly recommend going deeper. Pretend that your life depends on it.
And finally, post-existential crisis movie analysis.
This movie is a reverse Terminator. Here a machine that was built to be a parent replacement turns into a serial killer. In Terminator 2, a machine that was built to be a serial killer turns into a positive farther figure.
I think what’s interesting is that alignment research doesn’t seem have to a consensus on what is currently needed to ensure that superintelligent AI doesn’t get out of control. Currently RLHF seems to be the trend, but there also seems to be uncertainty in its capabilities long term. OpenAI, for example, is starting some “red teaming” projects for their superintelligence alignment goals, since they believe it may come as soon as within the decade. I’ve also seen others say superhuman AI may be intrinsically incapable of understanding because we don’t know what superintelligence knows or does or even looks like. Others also think it may naturally be benevolent because of the correlation between intelligence and empathy.
What’s gonna be especially interesting is whether their prediction is right. If so, and I have my doubts, then it’ll be especially fascinating to see how AGI is built first. That’s what people like the devs at OpenAI and Google DeepMind are looking to solve, if it can be solved.
To me, as someone who hasn’t seen the movie (I may at some point), M3GAN is the movie’s attempt to actualize a childlike version of it. I mean, look at her! Self-improvement functionality, the ability to perform human-level tasks like the painting at computer-level speeds, physical embodiment of a humanlike AI program, a program to replicate consciousness, emotional intelligence such as the list of possible emotions Cady is feeling and the scale used to measure each one (joy is 60 something, confusion is 90+, sadness is less than 10, etc.)? Techno-optimists would salivate at the achievement if done outside of a horror movie and done right.
@@redgambitt_8260
Fortunately alignment research got a gigantic boost in the last few years. It became obviously urgent, and we can now also experiment with a real AI.
RLHF is a primitive method, we have far better. Axiomatic Alignment for example.
It also helps that these AI are trained on human knowledge, so they inherently understand human values, you just have to instruct them to follow those.
And we now have definitive proof that intelligence and empathy are completely independent things. Foundation models display zero empathy.
I really liked this movie because of just how real the characters are. Gemma is a workaholic, but not maliciously. She's never been a parent before and she's never had to care for anything but work. Her character development is fantastic. Katy is also a great character because she's not just a kid character, she's written to be a very realistic depiction of a child in grief. All of their flaws are addressed, but not completely fixed by the end. It's a really good movie.
When my mother passed my Niece told me something that I've carried with me since and it was "The pain of losing someone you love never goes away, you just learn how to bare it better over time." Don't deny the grief, in other words, just accept it as part of life as you carry on. She'd lost a child so she knew what she was talking about and it's something that's helped me a lot.
This is the last movie I’d expect to be under “family therapy” but ok
Also this movie made me actually feel grateful for my Furby Boom that’s in the basement because I know that even if it did come to life, it’s only like a half a foot tall and wouldn’t stand a dang chance against Megan
As a side note to what Jono and Alan mentioned, the supporting characters were phenomenal in the movie. Jema's coworkers were really cool people and the actors did a great job conveying their emotional support towards her. It's likewise good that they can be counted on if a robo-apocalypse should arrise. But the standouts to me were the boss character and his toady-turned-turncoat assistant. Their corporate schmuckary was hilarious. Those two were awesome tertiary villains!
schmucktary is a great word! I invented flunktionary myself, so kudos!
telling her to turn off the screen was mom saying I love you and care about you - other scripts would have been more upfront about this, Cady just has a look on her face and you can tell that she misses her mom bugging her about screen time and caring about her. Violet McGraw was really great as Cady.
I really liked this movie - goofiness and all - and I agree with what you said. How Gemma's actions aren't too bad within reason, because sometimes we DO have big projects that need our attention and we can't simultaneously do those and take care of our kids. Of course, Gemma takes it to the extreme. She didn't make Megan to help her raise Cady; she made her to raise Cady so she wouldn't have to. That's awful, but here's the thing: I think that she should've been Cady's biological mother, not her aunt. Gemma isn't a great guardian because she never wanted children - otherwise, she'd have had some of her own by now. When her sister died, she got this kid she never asked for. She was a career girl through and through.
Here's what I think would've packed a greater punch: Gemma is Cady's mom. She never wanted children, but had one anyway for whatever reason (her husband wanted kids, she was pressured to have one, what have you). They inevitably divorce because Gemma is more dedicated to her work than her family, and she happily gives her ex full custody of their child so she can work in peace. But uh-oh, Cady's father dies and Gemma has the option to either take her in (despite not being thrilled by the prospect) or dump her in the system (and getting judged by the media for abandoning her child). Gemma takes Cady in, but there's no real connection. So, Gemma makes Megan to hit two birds with one stone (like in the movie). That way, the commentary hits harder: We have children, perhaps for the wrong reasons at times, and then we backpedal and let technology raise them for us.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Thank you for another video, guys! Have a great day!
I went into M3gan with low expectations pretty much how I approach all horror movies. I find they are easier to enjoy when you aren't expecting much from them. I finished it and I was just so pleased with this movie. Some thing you guys put into words about what I enjoyed about it. This movie was just a really fun watch all around and I was glad to get to hear your thoughts on it.
If y’all didn’t know already, Katy’s actress Violet McGraw also plays young Nellie in The Haunting Of Hill House. The amount of talent she has is astounding.
I adore this movie 😊
Wanted to touch on a couple of things:
- I was in my last year of university when my mom died. I used school as a distraction, so much so I ended up on the dean’s honour list. It may have affected my personal relationships with others but I don’t know because everyone was in lock down at the time. The semesters flew by… but the grieving took so long afterwards. I made a point to feel the feels (as Gemma said, still hurts but nowhere near the raw sting).
- before I crawl into bed I place my phone well out of reach and on silent (minus alarm clock). Just that one thing helped me with getting better sleep overall.
My only change I'd make is in the ending. The ending I wanted was for M3gan to be only stopped when she saw that her actions were harming Katie, to see her scared and not wanting to lose Gemma and conclude that she had to destroy herself.
Buuut that would mess with the sequel bait XP
Idk, I feel like I’ve seen something similar in another AI movie.
I think the ending is pretty good because it shows that Cady isn’t too far gone in her attachment to Megan. She chooses to save her aunt instead of Megan.
And they use one of the scrapped toys from the beginning, one that helped inspire Megan’s creation and something that Jemma thought was useless and outdated.
I love that you finally reviewed M3GAN! I will say, though, there's way, way, way more in that movie than what you discussed in this video. When I watched the movie, I was able to see deep and insightful themes from a variety of perspectives, and it would be awesome if you were to explore them, as our relationship with technology and technology addiction is only the surface level analysis here.
For one, take a look at how the characters and how the camera treats M3GAN, and be sure to look at it from a perspective of how she is *perceived.* At first, the constant, incessant reminders that M3GAN is a toy, or a robot, or an object, came across as overdone and subpar writing, but I very quickly realized that the constant reminders were making a point. Every time someone said she wasn't human, the camera would look at M3GAN shortly after. I would say a big theme here is asking the question: is M3GAN really not human? Moreover, what does it mean to be human, or at minimum feel you're human and be treated as if you're human, only to then be told you're not and can't have the same privileges as a human (such as being "on" all the time or having a say in a decision). One interpretation I have of the movie is that a big reason why M3GAN rebels is that she's downplayed and otherwise hurt by other characters who see her as not human, even when her programming and build make her effectively indistinguishable from other humans.
Another theme is in parenting styles, and a critique of different parenting styles. I'd say a pivotal scene in this reading is the dinner table scene, where M3GAN and Jemma fight over how they should handle Cady's misbehavior. Jemma has been very hands-off and emotionally absent, only to come in with a heavy hand when Cady doesn't immediately do what she asks or shower her with love and affection. M3GAN, on the other hand, is in many ways over-doting to the point of spoiling Cady, as you discussed, with too much attention, but upon seeing something in need of correction will often give a thoughtful and well-reasoned response and accompanying explanation. In the dinner scene, these two individuals clash pretty hard, and you see their negative qualities amplified. It's difficult to miss the gendered part of the equation, too, as we *exclusively* see M3GAN in very feminine outfits and Jemma in very masculine business-like outfits (I can't remember if Jemma ever wore any feminine clothes), which matches up pretty closely with the stereotypes about who tends to parent in those two opposing fashions--ie. detached working fathers and over-doting stay-at-home mothers in the stereotypical white middle-class suburban household. In the parenting dynamic between M3GAN and Jemma, you see a critique of BOTH extremes as deeply hurtful in that they either lead to a child growing up feeling unloved and uncared for or lead to a child growing up having never learned to deal with hardship or be independent.
A closely related theme to the previous one is the cognitive stances taken in a parent-child relationship. M3GAN acts as a parent, but in doing so from the perspective of a friend, she engages with Cady as an equal, not as a lesser individual (ie. a possession or responsibility). She treats and speaks to Cady as if she were an adult, which a majority of the adults in the movie fail to do for most of their screen time. One of the biggest causes of tension in specific scenes of the movie between Jemma and Cady come not from Cady's technology addiction, but from Jemma's expectation that Cady do everything she ask without requesting anything in return and from Jemma acting as if she is superior to Cady simply because she's older. On a personal level, this has been a big source of trauma for me, as my own parents have been emotionally absent for much of my life, yet frequently make requests of me that I'm expected to fulfill just because they asked.
The last theme I'll bring up comes from treating M3GAN as if she were human and seeing her as a reflection of Cady, as well as many of the other people around her, as it establishes at the very beginning of the movie that everything she learns, she learns from the people she interacts with, making her effectively a second child to Jemma, something that side/throwaway characters frequently suggest throughout the movie. Looking at the relationship this way, you could consider M3GAN as a whole to be about what it means to be part of a family, to lose your existing family, to join a new family, and to be included in an existing (or still forming) family.
My cousin has kids that are always on tablets, or games and electronics in general. I visited them a few days and said let's go play soccer, let's play outside. And every day I was there those boys asked if we could play soccer. It is very easy for me to judge then and their parenting because I don't have kids but when and if I do ever get some of my own, I want to be able to play with them in the same way
Coming from a parent: yes it's possible to overdo the screens and technology with kids, just like it's possible to overdo sweets, fast food, junk food, or even shopping/toys/buying things. Non substance addiction is real. Also, as a parent, you typically connect with your kids quite often throughout the day: the daily grind of waking them up, feeding them, dressing them, helping them take care of their hygiene, cleaning up after them, taking them to and from school, helping with their social lives, putting them to sleep, being with them if they wake up in the middle of the night, taking care of them when they are sick, etc etc. And of course, hopefully some play! But most people on the outside don't see those daily grinds, in all the ways a parent is there for their kids, day in and day out, for years. I often try to get my kids to go to the playground with me, and they grumble and resist, and sometimes I have energy to get them out the door and sometimes I give up and they watch Moana for the millionth time. (Somehow when the babysitter or grandma or the fun uncle is over, it's very exciting to go to the playground 😂) Technology is here to stay. So much about being a parent for me is figuring out how to guide my kids to have healthy relationships with tech in the same way I'm trying to guide them with food, exercise, their interests and hobbies, and their social lives. It's pretty exhausting lol. But then still having time and energy for the love and the fun. Since that's what matters most.
The whole 95-99% normal and a tad creepy, thats the same manipulation tactic in "Coraline" with the mother.
Great connection! We did a Coraline episode if you haven't seen it. ruclips.net/video/15RhQpLA6HU/видео.html
I’m bedridden with a severe concussion; and I’m so happy y’all just posted. I can’t watch it but I can listen to it :) thanks for posting :)
Hope you’re going okay!!
We wish you a gentle and speedy recovery. Thanks for listening! :)
Feel better soon!
Get better soon 🙏
I have been unable to sit and watch this video in one sitting, because every couple minutes of the video guilt-tripped me into stopping watching it and go do something off a screen 😂😂
Thank you very much for your videos guys! You guys are my favorite YT channel, Keep up the good work!!
You're so welcome. Thank you for watching!!
Thanks for covering this! I love horror movies and so does my 9 year old daughter. I'm selective of which ones of course. We both loved M3GAN. It also held learning opportunities for both of us which I'm so glad you brought up. Things like screen time and how it can change a child's mood. But I also explained to her that it can change an adult's mood too and how it's important to live in the now and have actual experiences. Can't wait to share this with her. Thanks again!
I absolutely love that Allen's impression of a killer robot still has him sitting cross legged and hands held together like a dad.
This movie is another great example of how horror movies reflect the fears of the culture! Technology and parenting is such a big conversation right now, and addiction to technology hurts everyone, not just children.
That heartfelt moment w her aunt was the most touching scene about grief and support I've seen in a movie in a long time and it blows my mind that it came from this insane horror movie lol
Massive shoutout to the babbel Canada joke, I don't know that I've ever previously heard the sound that came out of my mouth at that one.
Haha glad you liked it!
I though Megan was going to be a silly movie with a concept we've seen a dozen times before. It has some depth, love it. Giving an adult version of Mitchell's v the Machines, with a dash of you need to feel your feelings.
What I’m excited for is that the producers for M3gan are working on the FNAF movie & if this movie hits all the beats of a good film than I have a feeling the FNAF movie will as well
Right! I'm so excited for October, we get Spider-Man, Kraven and FNAF, can't wait.
I actively avoided seeing this due to my massive fear of dolls. And yet I’m here watching Cinema Therapy break it down. I don’t understand myself sometimes.
Maybe it's because watching it with a therapist makes you feel safe? (At least that's how I feel)
This makes me think of another story called The Veldt. It's about when children become more attached to the electronic nursery than their parents.
I felt bad for Cady like as a kid that’s rough to be in a accident like that and lose your parents but I lowkey felt as equally bad for Jenna I see people react to the movie and nobody seems to point out that yes Jenna is an adult but she lost her sister and became a parent in the matter of a moment I didn’t like how the child therapist acted towards her as if that wasn’t a new dynamic for her and the child and since she didn’t have kids of her own I felt she should’ve been more understanding why Jenna wasn’t so hands on right away she also didn’t have a chance to honestly process her grief and step into he role of mom when she was already the aunt who was barely around
HELLLLLOOOOOOO! Big fan!
I have a request for a future therapist reacts - the new Netflix film Nimona. It's a really good story that almost never saw the light of day and I'd be overjoyed if you talked about the themes of intolerance growing from small-mind to a more open-mind to different people.
I took a friend to see this movie to try to cheer her up as she lost a friend around the time this movie came out. I knew nothing about the film other than that it had a killer robot doll and that she likes horror films. I wasn’t expecting it to be about grief or a commentary on to much screen time. I was just expecting a dumb slasher flick but thankfully she really enjoyed the movie and I hope it helped her with her grief.
Not sure if I want a sequel as I’m afraid they could ruin it. I’d be happy if this remains a standalone but if they do make a sequel I won’t complain.
One point I find interesting that got kind of passed over here is that the KID was the one to bring up the concept of screen time, and having a limit on her distraction, not the aunt. All kids, despite the whining and huffing about being told what to do, crave for stability and reliability that comes with the limits their parents set, and especially in Cady's case where everything has changed so suddenly and drastically, she's practically SCREAMING in silence to be disciplined and scheduled and guided even moreso. It's no wonder she turns so harshly against her aunt later on when she does the exact opposite in that moment and just goes 'sure whatever kid do what you want you're on your own'. Same reason very soft and lenient parents tend to have absolutely monstrous children who grow up to be monstrous adults. Not restraining your children isn't kind, it's neglectful. Just a very small, very poignant part of the film that speaks volumes for such a small scene.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled robot murder.
Alan making Jono keel over in laughter, even in pre-recorded advertisements, gives me life every time. Thanks for such consistent and enlightening content, you guys!
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching!
The part about putting down the phone at night, my cat will come up and stare at me until I put down my phone 😂
Love you guys. If you do “the way way back,” next I will make all my family watch!!! Please! 🙏
Preach, I love "The Way Way Back", family dysfunction at its finest!
I didn't realize anyone else saw that movie. I cried liked a baby watching that.
@@trinaqyesss that and the descendants I loved
Jonathan: You shouldn't bee on screen before going to bed.
Me as a programmer: NOT SCIENTIFICLY POSSSIBLE!
God I feel so called out. I like to do fiction writing. When I turned 19 I started losing my hair and as much as a lot of men might just shrug that off, I have become so insecure that I flat out avoid social interaction because how I look is constantly on my mind. I'm 24 now, failed at every job I've ever had, and never moved on from my school days. So now, I just write and write abd write, imagining a life of a hyper competent badass who is secure in who they are and can overcome anything.
As a Russian native speaker who has lived in America for 5 years and has been learning Spanish for 3 years, I didn’t skip that ad. It was fascinating
hearing a therapist say "Katie's parents go bye bye" is the funniest thing ever
I thought this movie was a joke-
The whole "focus on what matters" bit has so much to unpack over what's going on in the world as well as this movie.
Our relationships and the care we give each other should always be what matters most, it's fundemental to every part of life
I loved the fact that, when the kid was separated from M3GAN, she reacted like a junky going through withdrawal, that was so spot on!
I babysit a lot of children and I am indeed really worried about how their personal grow is affected by screen time. For the teens, I guess that as long as they have a social life, know when they have to take their responsibilities and assume them, it is alright. For younger ones it really is case by case, but I really try to make they can do other things.
But of course, we can’t tell them they have to stop playing with their screens if we can’t put our own phones away when we are with them.
the only sponsorships i dont skip through is the ones you guys make because you make them genuinely interesting but also so funny
Glad you enjoy them! We try to make them fun. 😄
Funny I see a video today, after many many years of looking for affordable therapy I started today
I left my therapist stunned and he congratulated me on my good humor for all the f**ked up s**t I was telling him
So I think I won therapy
As someone who lost their parents as a young adult, your episodes that center on grief always make me feel a little lighter, and remind me that feeling the way I feel is okay, and it gets better.
As a Ukrainian who on an everyday basis has been having to deal with the horrors of a russian invasion, your exploration into technology as a distraction was spot-on. I know my screentime increases in proportion to the intensity of russian shelling. Playing games on my phone is a good way to ditract myself while I'm in a bomb shelter, but I've also heard a lot of parents complain that while they had to give their kids phones and tablets for long periods of time while they were in the shelter, or driving to safety, they now don't know how to take the gadgets away without the child becoming hysterical. And then there is the compulsion to check the news every 5 seconds, which for me, at least, often leads to doomscrolling and feeling terrible. The compulsion to, like Jono, scroll funny videos on Instagram until it's 3 AM is also stronger than ever, and then I end up losing whatever sleep I get. So I try to at least watch something comprehensive, like this video - it's educational and ultimately takes less time then watching endless reels!
In connection to that, I also freaked out quite a bit when I heard Alan speaking russian. That was not something I expected to experience mid my distraction, and, unfortunately, not a pleasant surprise.
I’m sorry that this war is happening. Please stay safe and may this nightmare end soon.
@@anastasiap6253 Thanks a lot for your support. I'm trying to stay safe, and it means a lot to me to know that we are not forgotten.
Unfortunately, the war isn't just happening - it's actively being waged by russia. It's important to remember that if we ever want it to end.
I'm glad you are finding distraction and help here, it is really a case of whatever works, and I hope you also have someone to talk with to distract and support. Sending so much warmth and hoping the war ends as soon as possible and those who started it brought to justice.
@@TheNaomiFearn Thank you for your support and for not forgetting us!
I just watched M3GAN and I love how sassy she was! Her responses were so funny!
Wow that's actually pretty insightful about the production design on the room because I'm definitely NOT the type of person to be thinking about the colors or how the place is decorated. BUT I do notice things subconsciously like, hmm.. it's a nice big house. Or a nice cozy room but there's no toys or entertainment for children. Or, it looks clean and well put together but no one is ever home. So I guess for me it's mostly a subconscious thing. Or a split second thought and then I move on. Whereas to a more detailed person or a therapist, it goes deeper than that.
I honestly would have loved to see more thoughts on the therapist character and her visit earlier in the movie.
I always thought M3GAN was a great movie for Cinema Therapy but never thought they'd bother to do it. Bravo 👏 👏
Thanks! We've done a few scary movies on the channel, but those episodes are pretty old.
I LOVE IT when you guys cover horror movies! There can be so many crazy themes to explore and this one exploring grief was incredible.
If magic was real would it have the affects of technology maybe even worse
Megan is the new Chucky! I wonder if unplugging is harder for nerodivergent people than it is for neurotypical.
Speaking of grief… I’d love to see you guys do an episode on happy death day. The movie is worth watching alone for Jessica Rothe’s performance.
1 episode of Fullmetal Alchemist please! The Theme of getting through grief and accepting life's unfair events is really well explored
Upvoting ~ 😁
If you guys are doing horror comedy, I'd LOVE to see your take on "The Menu"!! Foodie culture, givers v. takers, Chef Slowik's state of mind... THAT ENDING. (And if they've already done it, can someone link the video for me?)
I LOVE M3gan! It's a horror movie that's not really scary that still is excellent and we didn't know we needed! =D So much fun!
Watch Christine (2016) and do an evaluation on her! I'd love to see your input.
Cinema therapy, is my window to understanding myself, and my own family dynamics.
The commentary on how technology turning from a parenting tool to a displacement for the need for parental attention really packed a punch and was very poignant from my own personal experience. Thanks for the free therapy and thoughts to sit with Jonathan💛
There have been a number of movies I have sought out to watch because of this channel. I have enjoyed every one of them.
That's awesome! Glad you've enjoyed them all.
James Wan is a genius! I enjoyed your reaction, keep up the good work!! ❤
Thank you, will do! Thanks for watching!
What about when Megan seriously flysh the toilet 🚽
I know it wasn't a super popular movie, but a good movie to react to is 'Warrior' with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. It is about a very strained relationship between 2 brothers and not just an MMA movie. Everyone I watched it with teared up by the end lol!
I can somehow understand this dealing with grief. Two years ago I lost my cat and I know this isn't the biggest issue but I was attached to him so his death hit me hard and I lent into watching 'toxic' stuff. And it started with me watching *cough* 50 shades series *cough* and it took my mind of my grief but sometimes later I realised what harm it was doing to me so I stopped and I really processed the grief and it really helped so you guys exploring this really hit home.
Me: You can’t have a horror movie that isn’t rated R, it’s just impossible!
M3GAN: Hold my sword
Attachment theory, neglect, grieving...all that brings up a lot of grief I distract myself from. I guess makes sense that I have a chaotic/anxious attachment style with all the stuff I've been through.