As viewers sit contemplating an accurate answer, the movie blatantly unravels it’s plot to show you exactly what “TABOO” is all about.
Don’t ask… just watch!
Watch the full 28 minute mini movie “The Strange Thing About The Johnsons” but I must warn you to mentally prepare yourselves first…
The Johnsons are an attractive, well-to-do, upper-middle class family. Sidney, husband and father, is a famous poet, known and adored for his kindness and sensitivity. Joan, wife and mother, is a dutiful housewife, an obsessive homemaker and the life of every party. Their son, Isaiah, is a charismatic young man who has just gotten married to an equally appealing young woman.
In fact, there is only thing that separates the Johnsons from their charming friends and neighbors: Isaiah, the son, has been molesting Sidney, the father, since he was twelve years old. And what’s more, Sidney has written a memoir that chronicles, in great detail, the ins-and-outs of this unseemly father-son relationship. Will the manuscript ever see the light of day, or will young Isaiah have a thing or two to say about it? THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THE JOHNSONS is a dark satire of the domestic melodrama, which asks “What if…?” and then, for some reason, comes up with an answer.
“The color of the Johnson family’s skin is totally incidental. It’s of no consequence to the story or its execution,” Aster said.
“We certainly assumed that casting black actors in a film that tackles such transgressive themes would create something of a stir, and it would be a lie to say that we weren’t hesitant, especially as many people were advising us against the decision. There is no intended commentary on the black experience and I would never claim to have any insight into that.”
Click HERE to read more about Aster’s vision for the controversial film.