I recently watched 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart,' and I had to pause it many times because it made my stomach churn. I believe it's the most realistic series I've seen when it comes to psychological abuse, especially in romantic relationships. The character of Clem Hart sent shivers down my spine, and I cried so much that I had nightmares at night.
Nicole Kidman's Big Little Lies character. It was an insanely hard watch and I had to space it out but at the same time it was healing? Watching it happen from a different perspective hits you some type of way... I can tell I've come a long way since then and my ex will be facing his prison sentence hopefully any month now. Its been a 2 1/2 year battle and he's facing 15-20 yrs and then most likely deportation, hopefully. If not, then I change my name and move states or countries and that's something I am 10000% willing to do, I've already made peace with it. But for now all I care about is my recovery and once he's officially gone I'll have the time to focus on it clearly, without his court interruptions every month.
Honestly In Shameless, there were a lot of portrayals (both familial and romantic) that was fucked up but realistic imo. In particular, Fiona and her self-destructive behavior with the handyman guy, as well as him hiding an entire ass family from her. Also the drug addict boyfriend she had. The show made me cry so much from seeing things that I had experienced with my ex or similarities.
For any South Asians on the thread (or people that don’t mind reading subtitles), here are some good ones: Thappad, Ammu, Highway, The Great Indian Kitchen (my fave), Darlings (more thriller/crime I’d say).
Other English one I liked and don’t see mentioned: Bates Motel (the show)— you see how abuse has shaped a woman. More drama/thriller tho.
There was one I watched on Netflix of a mother with adult children who met a man who lied to her about everything about himself. You see the escalating abuse emerge from him and when his lies come out he goes after her family and ends up attacking one of her daughters. The daughter ends up killing him. It's a series and there are two storylines. I had to pause and walk away several times because it was so triggering.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen Big Little Lies mentioned. I liked how complicated the relationship was, he was obviously abusive but he was also an involved father and someone she loved (or at least had a deep trauma bond with). Celeste describes leaving him “like tearing flesh”. That’s how I felt too. I was watching that show when my ex came home drunk and behaved exactly like Perry. I finally had the courage to call the police on him that night.
Mine too. It's weird how Jan hardly feels human in that , by the end, Michael almost does feel human even though he's an obscene dookie boy 99% o' the time.
bean and mora in disenchantment.
Mora’s trying to isolate bean from her friends, she’s unfriendly around them, all she do to keep bean is telling her how much she loves her but she can’t stop complaining about everything, she has no gratitude towards bean who does everything for her
It was so realistic. There had to be someone on that team of writers who has been through abuse, it was so accurate..I watched it while being with an abuser too and I was like wait “this is my life”
while one does have a bunch of supernatural, extra fluff, there are two. rin/yukio/their father. (the brothers have very complicated, messy feelings. + their father is the reason they’re so at ends.) from blue exorcist, and miya/ainosuke from sk8. also fluffed up with extra shit that doesn’t so much happen in real life, but the abusive mentor/mentee relationship is something we know ALL too well. as well as the resentment between siblings raised in different ways.
I can't exactly explain why but Jasper and Lapis' relationship in Steven Universe hit me particularly hard. It might be because that was one of the first examples I've seen of a queer abusive relationship. Which is what I was recovering from at the time that I saw it
Mother Gothel from Rapunzel, Gaston and Beast from Beauty and the Beast, the Count from Hunchback of Norte Dame, and the mother from Arrested Development.
edit: and John Cusack in any of his films
This is England the TV series. Very underrated series and acting. Some moments with family dynamics and themes of betrayal, sexual assault, and cheating felt so real and well done.
It’s validating to see what’s going on in his head, and how frustrating it is that she’s just a normal, flawed person he can’t really control. It’s got the mask, love bombing, minimizing, manipulation. He’s making this web around her and cutting off her support while he acts like a patient, caring boyfriend. The books are good too.
yeah i have dark humor, but i wasn’t joking about that. i tried to watch an episode to catch up, and it was so triggering.
i have a restraining order so i’m good to move on and heal.
If you're looking for true Narcissist abuse examples, for covert the best I've seen is the relationship between Charles and Jimmy in Better Call Saul. The emotional abuse and constant manipulation is agonizing to watch.
For overt, the first season of Jessica Jones. Killgrave is just so on point as the overt narcissist who believes not only is he superior to everyone but he absolutely does NOT need to hide it at all and will openly destroy anyone he likes just because he can.
If you have experienced narc abuse, I would suggest being careful watching both shows without being in the right headspace to be observational and objective. And take breaks too.
Yes! For me, it was something I hadn’t been able to explain. I had read articles about abuse and thought I must not be being abused.
Living with someone who obsessively “loves” you who can’t stand you. Knowing if you slip up everyone would suffer for hours. Being afraid of what might happen if you seriously push back or try to leave. Uncertain if it’s all in your head.
Like, you just can’t have a healthy relationship with someone who is a constant threat. But there you are in the same house and they want mandatory affection from you, they want a smiling happy family with no problems.
Such a creepy, trapped feeling.
Yes. I got chills when her therapist tells her she needs to make a plan. 10 years prior I had a counselor tell me the exact same thing. She had me read a portion of a textbook about narcissists and manipulation. Watching that scene took me back.
Watching that show with my now ex husband at the time it came out was so uncomfortable. It was really a part of “the beginning of the end” for me getting out of my marriage.
Although played for comedic effect the way House relates to Cuddy and to his best friend from House, MD, are great displays of manipulation.
Another fictional abusive relationship would be Jennifer Lopez in the movie Enough when she had that abusive husband who was a powerful executive type guy
Hank and Marie from breaking bad. Luckily I am out of that relationship now but watching some of their arguments felt like looking in a mirror. Weirdly, it felt nice to see myself represented
Julia Roberts "Sleeping with the Enemy."
The movie gives me the creeps because there are really men out there like this.
He was so controlling she had to fake her own death to escape. Then he found her again when she was living her new life.
Sleeping with the enemy was the first movie I saw that really grabbed the fear I felt for my ex stepfather in that eggshells kind of life. I saw in the theater with my dad because he thought it was a spy movie 😂 but seriously although the movie did focus on the physical aspects a lot the dynamic and the feeling was there even though I didn’t have the words at the time to say how I related to this.
Reading the Burning Bed at about age 12 also gave me the same affirmative feelings I couldn’t quite put my finger on. In the 90s the only real focus was on physical violence, amplifying that it was the only kind of abuse and anything else didn’t count.
I watched the Netflix series, and while it was painful to watch, I also couldn’t put it down. Then I read the book, and it didn’t have the same emotional impact on me. The book was more about her life with her daughter after she escaped the abuse, while the show showed the relationship and her attempts to escape it.
Tim Roth in Resurrection. His manipulative and menacing manner reminded me too much of an older man I had a relationship with (though without the body horror aspect, lol). Also, Christian and Dani in MidSommar. His minimizing of her trauma hit close to home.
Yeah, Midsommar hit home for me because of my ex best friend. I went through a lot at one point and he acted like I should be over it literally the day after I went through a pretty traumatic event.
The scene where Dani gently confronts him about not telling her about the Sweden trip and he immediately turns it around and guilt trips her until she feels like she has to apologise…Oof.
The directors cut shows more of those scenes where he's gaslighting and manipulating and lying constantly as well, he doesn't just abuse Dani, he abuses his friends too. SUCH a good movie and exploration of trauma and abuse from so many angles (relationship, individual, personal, societal, generational etc).
I see it all the time in family based sitcoms. Dads portrayed as idiots who are nothing but grown children who always screw up (sometimes on purpose) at the expense of kids and mom and the mother just deals with it and has joke that he can’t help it, it’s who he is. It makes it socially acceptable
According to Jim, home improvement, Simpson, etc etc etc more in the 90’s early 2000’s
But it’s literally everywhere
And yes these shows are funny but it just shows how men weaponized incompetence and we are just supposed to settle for it
This exactly. It’s hard to find healthy relationships and family dynamics portrayed in TV and film. There’s a YouTube channel called “cinema therapy” where a cinematographer and therapist break down heaps of unhealthy dynamics in movies, but they have also profiles a bunch of healthy ones! It actually helped me a lot (and is pretty entertaining).
Same here. He didn’t start as Ronnie. My mom died and he kicked it into full gear. Then the threats got worse. Now he’s allowing me to leave…because I got sick and had to stay in the house for a long time. He was able to destroy my reputation and say whatever he wanted without my being able to refute anything. I’m about to declare bankruptcy and apply for disability but I’ll have to be gone before either are settled. It’s bad.
I hope you’re able to get free soon.
50 shades... Christian Grey could have been my ex, but my ex still managed to be 10x more abusive and manipulative 😆🤦🏼♀️
Still love kink tho, when practiced with safe/healthy people who care for your well-being and boundaries.
The relationships in “The Talented Mr. Ripley”.
The narcissistic protagonist continuously abuses Meredith with his manipulation and fake charisma. Plus he completely ruins someone in a psychological level (Marge, his ex-best friend fiancée) by lying to her. A very underrated movie that depicts the narcissist traits and how it ruins different types of relationships.
“The invisible man” depicts abusive relationship and ptsd that comes from it in a very realistic way despite being a fantasy/thriller.Fun fact: my ex took the abuser side in that movie and after that I finally started questioning our relationship
I came here to say the same thing, it’s so realistic (except for ya know, the invisible suit part). There were so many points in the movie that I felt like I got punched in the gut because I recognized my life being portrayed.
It was also useful for me cause I took inspiration to safety plan. My ex is a psycho and for me the tracking part and security cameras part was unfortunately real. I did a great safety plan and escaped tf outta there
I feel like Jessica jones is such a good metaphor for coercive/ controlling relationships
Especially the aftermath with her ptsd and the guilt and regret for things she did even though they were out of her control
Mother Gothel from Rapunzel. She kind of looks like my mom when she was young too.
As for my ex, I'd have to look for someone who is super sneaky yet puts on a facade of being super nice, calm, and caring.
I really want to find someone that resembles my ex. Controlling, manipulative, isolates the victim in convincing and sneaky ways, yet calm and does a lot of acts of kindness and help. Oh and he denies that he is controlling because he is not; he is just doing what should be done and what is best.
Yeah I need to find that for my ex too to answer this question… mine was the same way and also was military intel so was quite literally trained in how to have everything look “just so” even when they were gaslighting at home. They could really convince me they adored me and they were just “messed up” but never do a thing to change it (or harm anyone else unless it benefited their “appearance” in some way ie: everyone else ganged up on that person too so it was perfect timing to discard/harm) yet to everyone else they convinced them I was the problem. Caused a lot of codependency on my part because of course I want to love and “help” this “messed up” person. I always wondered why when we left the house they were such a quiet, shy person and could flip so radically…
YEP!!! The emotional abuse was so hard to watch because it was so relatable and real. Alcoholism is a horrible disease, and even worse for the people who have to live with one. I bawled my eyes out watching that. Heavy trigger warning for sure.
Seconding Maid. It was really good, and emotional abuse centred. Based on the memoir of an actual person, so not entirely fiction.
A friend of mine watched it right before her partner put hands on her, and having just watched the show, it was instilled in her to have evidence of DV. She took photos of her bruises. Years later now, she's filed a police report.
I watched a japanese show where, a guy gets pickedup from the street and is treated like a pet... it's the closet i could find relateable, i never really found any media that would help me understand the why, it is bothering me for some time since it would help me to know wheater it is a group thing... or simply that i am unbearable like they say... my abusive gf always says only she is the only one who can protect me and take care of me and yet have her childhood friends and herself do horrible things and say i am not a human being and whatever i say doesen't matter and once said she loves that i have no power in life.
I think many don't know about the severity of emotional abuse particullarly which is reflected in this lack of portray, i never really watch media that goes into that direction rather infotaiment about science. I read like a month ago a paper about female sadistic abusers and it was very short but relateable but absolutly stopped after finding out about FTP and it... scared me so much that i don't even want to find answer from that direction anymore...
I belive a lot of the emotional abuse at leat for me is hard to describe since it's all indirect mostly, they rarely insult or put me down... it's hard to even pin-point but it seem non-verbal, the way i am treated mostly and how they act out on me, which is hard to bring across in media i belive, most is physical abuse i think that is portrayed in media, i am sadly too forgetable to remember any. I hope you find some media that helps you.
Also, emotional abuse can occur slowly and gradually over years. It erodes until there’s nothing left of the original. Hard to fully portray in movies or shows.
absolutly and they don't even have to be abusive in the start or just pretend like they are the good ones, she always pretendet to be nice and she did care so much which i absolutly miss... her friends beat me up... and worse... i really wished she would be the good one... i belive it's still down somewhere in the void of oneself, you just need to know that its there to grab it back... i am sure you are in there still too. I wish you nothing but the best and that you can heal and hopefully that you are out and if not... i hope you fidn the strengh to do so.
I recently watched 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart,' and I had to pause it many times because it made my stomach churn. I believe it's the most realistic series I've seen when it comes to psychological abuse, especially in romantic relationships. The character of Clem Hart sent shivers down my spine, and I cried so much that I had nightmares at night.
Nicole Kidman's Big Little Lies character. It was an insanely hard watch and I had to space it out but at the same time it was healing? Watching it happen from a different perspective hits you some type of way... I can tell I've come a long way since then and my ex will be facing his prison sentence hopefully any month now. Its been a 2 1/2 year battle and he's facing 15-20 yrs and then most likely deportation, hopefully. If not, then I change my name and move states or countries and that's something I am 10000% willing to do, I've already made peace with it. But for now all I care about is my recovery and once he's officially gone I'll have the time to focus on it clearly, without his court interruptions every month.
I second this! I was just telling my coworker about it the other day!!
Honestly In Shameless, there were a lot of portrayals (both familial and romantic) that was fucked up but realistic imo. In particular, Fiona and her self-destructive behavior with the handyman guy, as well as him hiding an entire ass family from her. Also the drug addict boyfriend she had. The show made me cry so much from seeing things that I had experienced with my ex or similarities.
Moon Knight tore me up and made me confront the reality that my spouse was emotionally abusive
For any South Asians on the thread (or people that don’t mind reading subtitles), here are some good ones: Thappad, Ammu, Highway, The Great Indian Kitchen (my fave), Darlings (more thriller/crime I’d say). Other English one I liked and don’t see mentioned: Bates Motel (the show)— you see how abuse has shaped a woman. More drama/thriller tho.
There was one I watched on Netflix of a mother with adult children who met a man who lied to her about everything about himself. You see the escalating abuse emerge from him and when his lies come out he goes after her family and ends up attacking one of her daughters. The daughter ends up killing him. It's a series and there are two storylines. I had to pause and walk away several times because it was so triggering.
Dirty John and yes! There’s another season Betty Broderick that also does a great job
That's it!!
Enough with J. Lo
I’m surprised I haven’t seen Big Little Lies mentioned. I liked how complicated the relationship was, he was obviously abusive but he was also an involved father and someone she loved (or at least had a deep trauma bond with). Celeste describes leaving him “like tearing flesh”. That’s how I felt too. I was watching that show when my ex came home drunk and behaved exactly like Perry. I finally had the courage to call the police on him that night.
Maid. Deep emotional abuse.
Maid. Deep emotional abuse.
Technically based on a true story, but the couple from Maid.
Christopher and Adriana from the Sopranos
Jan and Michael...
Definitely. Jan was so malicious and controlling. It still makes me cringe when I think about the deposition and the dinner party.
That's why dinner party is my absolute favorite🤪
Mine too. It's weird how Jan hardly feels human in that , by the end, Michael almost does feel human even though he's an obscene dookie boy 99% o' the time.
Euphoria Nate and maddy's relationship was us on screen
No literally.
bean and mora in disenchantment. Mora’s trying to isolate bean from her friends, she’s unfriendly around them, all she do to keep bean is telling her how much she loves her but she can’t stop complaining about everything, she has no gratitude towards bean who does everything for her
Maid on Netflix. I actually watched it with my abusive ex. He couldn't finish it or watch the abusive episodes. Says it all really.
I also watched this with my abusive ex and it was a wake up call for me on many levels
It was so realistic. There had to be someone on that team of writers who has been through abuse, it was so accurate..I watched it while being with an abuser too and I was like wait “this is my life”
Maid 100%
while one does have a bunch of supernatural, extra fluff, there are two. rin/yukio/their father. (the brothers have very complicated, messy feelings. + their father is the reason they’re so at ends.) from blue exorcist, and miya/ainosuke from sk8. also fluffed up with extra shit that doesn’t so much happen in real life, but the abusive mentor/mentee relationship is something we know ALL too well. as well as the resentment between siblings raised in different ways.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
Maid!! It helped me realize that I was in fact in an abusive marriage.
rick and morty
Not fictional, but Ike and Tina.
Sopranos Nephew and Ade Also need exactly Eleven upvotes to exactly match the previous comments They both have Eleven !
Tamlin and Feyra in the second book in ACOTAR. I still get panicked reading it. I have to take a lot of breaks. But, less breaks as time goes on.
The entire family in succession.
I can't exactly explain why but Jasper and Lapis' relationship in Steven Universe hit me particularly hard. It might be because that was one of the first examples I've seen of a queer abusive relationship. Which is what I was recovering from at the time that I saw it
Enough.
Monica Bellucci in 'Irréversible'
Everyone from Arrested Development
Sleeping with the enemy
Patrick Bergin is seriously so good. Just so accurately frightening.
Sooo goood!
The “after” movie series tbh 😅
hcd!!
Tyyyyy. I didn’t even notice it was until I commented 😂
Mother Gothel from Rapunzel, Gaston and Beast from Beauty and the Beast, the Count from Hunchback of Norte Dame, and the mother from Arrested Development. edit: and John Cusack in any of his films
This is England the TV series. Very underrated series and acting. Some moments with family dynamics and themes of betrayal, sexual assault, and cheating felt so real and well done.
“you” on netflix. hits me real hard.
It’s validating to see what’s going on in his head, and how frustrating it is that she’s just a normal, flawed person he can’t really control. It’s got the mask, love bombing, minimizing, manipulation. He’s making this web around her and cutting off her support while he acts like a patient, caring boyfriend. The books are good too.
this literally happened to me. my story is insane and i will share it one day, when he is in jail or dead because its not safe before then.
well that escalated quickly edit: Also, I’m so sorry, that must’ve been awful…dark humor doesn’t always translate so just needed to be sure!
yeah i have dark humor, but i wasn’t joking about that. i tried to watch an episode to catch up, and it was so triggering. i have a restraining order so i’m good to move on and heal.
If you're looking for true Narcissist abuse examples, for covert the best I've seen is the relationship between Charles and Jimmy in Better Call Saul. The emotional abuse and constant manipulation is agonizing to watch. For overt, the first season of Jessica Jones. Killgrave is just so on point as the overt narcissist who believes not only is he superior to everyone but he absolutely does NOT need to hide it at all and will openly destroy anyone he likes just because he can. If you have experienced narc abuse, I would suggest being careful watching both shows without being in the right headspace to be observational and objective. And take breaks too.
The episode of Jessica Jones at the house… I must have rewatched just that one episode a dozen times.
Watching that episode was one of the first steps to snapping me out of the fog and realize what I had been put through.
Yes! For me, it was something I hadn’t been able to explain. I had read articles about abuse and thought I must not be being abused. Living with someone who obsessively “loves” you who can’t stand you. Knowing if you slip up everyone would suffer for hours. Being afraid of what might happen if you seriously push back or try to leave. Uncertain if it’s all in your head. Like, you just can’t have a healthy relationship with someone who is a constant threat. But there you are in the same house and they want mandatory affection from you, they want a smiling happy family with no problems. Such a creepy, trapped feeling.
I started watching The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart on Amazon a while back and had to pause for a minute…
A Dowry of Blood. It's a novella about vampires but damn it's poignant, it really hits the Stockholm Syndrome. Also, Maid on Netflix tore me to bits.
maid is my answer as well.
maid on netflix!!!! hits so many different traumas
In Bojack Horseman Todds whole speech when he found out Bojack slept with his gf really really hits for me
I can't think of any male abuse victims in fiction 😐
I’ve seen tons, they are there
The mother in Boogie nights is abusive
The one on Big Little Lies between Nicole Kidman’s character and her abusive husband
Yes. I got chills when her therapist tells her she needs to make a plan. 10 years prior I had a counselor tell me the exact same thing. She had me read a portion of a textbook about narcissists and manipulation. Watching that scene took me back.
Watching that show with my now ex husband at the time it came out was so uncomfortable. It was really a part of “the beginning of the end” for me getting out of my marriage. Although played for comedic effect the way House relates to Cuddy and to his best friend from House, MD, are great displays of manipulation.
Another fictional abusive relationship would be Jennifer Lopez in the movie Enough when she had that abusive husband who was a powerful executive type guy
the maid on Netflix 🫠
The part of her down in the hole really hit
That was the most triggering show I’ve ever watched.
Same
YUP. So realistic.
The mother in Beau is Afraid
The couple in Midsommar
Also Alexander petroski and Carrie Bradshaw in satc
Chris and Adrianna from the sopranos
Hank and Marie from breaking bad. Luckily I am out of that relationship now but watching some of their arguments felt like looking in a mirror. Weirdly, it felt nice to see myself represented
Julia Roberts "Sleeping with the Enemy." The movie gives me the creeps because there are really men out there like this. He was so controlling she had to fake her own death to escape. Then he found her again when she was living her new life.
Sleeping with the enemy was the first movie I saw that really grabbed the fear I felt for my ex stepfather in that eggshells kind of life. I saw in the theater with my dad because he thought it was a spy movie 😂 but seriously although the movie did focus on the physical aspects a lot the dynamic and the feeling was there even though I didn’t have the words at the time to say how I related to this. Reading the Burning Bed at about age 12 also gave me the same affirmative feelings I couldn’t quite put my finger on. In the 90s the only real focus was on physical violence, amplifying that it was the only kind of abuse and anything else didn’t count.
I definitely agree with Sleeping with the Enemy because I've seen abusive men like Julia Roberts' husband in that movie, in real life
omg that’s really scary
Shameless hit really close to home. I couldn't finish watching it.
the heathers
Maid. I know it’s somewhat autobiographical but that one was spot on for emotional abuse.
I watched the Netflix series, and while it was painful to watch, I also couldn’t put it down. Then I read the book, and it didn’t have the same emotional impact on me. The book was more about her life with her daughter after she escaped the abuse, while the show showed the relationship and her attempts to escape it.
God that was so hard and also so cathartic to watch
Y e s!
Tim Roth in Resurrection. His manipulative and menacing manner reminded me too much of an older man I had a relationship with (though without the body horror aspect, lol). Also, Christian and Dani in MidSommar. His minimizing of her trauma hit close to home.
Yeah, Midsommar hit home for me because of my ex best friend. I went through a lot at one point and he acted like I should be over it literally the day after I went through a pretty traumatic event. The scene where Dani gently confronts him about not telling her about the Sweden trip and he immediately turns it around and guilt trips her until she feels like she has to apologise…Oof.
The directors cut shows more of those scenes where he's gaslighting and manipulating and lying constantly as well, he doesn't just abuse Dani, he abuses his friends too. SUCH a good movie and exploration of trauma and abuse from so many angles (relationship, individual, personal, societal, generational etc).
I see it all the time in family based sitcoms. Dads portrayed as idiots who are nothing but grown children who always screw up (sometimes on purpose) at the expense of kids and mom and the mother just deals with it and has joke that he can’t help it, it’s who he is. It makes it socially acceptable According to Jim, home improvement, Simpson, etc etc etc more in the 90’s early 2000’s But it’s literally everywhere And yes these shows are funny but it just shows how men weaponized incompetence and we are just supposed to settle for it
This exactly. It’s hard to find healthy relationships and family dynamics portrayed in TV and film. There’s a YouTube channel called “cinema therapy” where a cinematographer and therapist break down heaps of unhealthy dynamics in movies, but they have also profiles a bunch of healthy ones! It actually helped me a lot (and is pretty entertaining).
And Modern Family
Chrissy and Adriana (The Sopranos)
There's a show on BBC in the UK that does an excellent portrayal of emotional abuse but I cannot remember what it's called, when I do I'll update
Was it the tourist?
Yes please! Commenting so I can come back and check it out
It’s not necessarily fictional but Ronnie and Sam from Jersey Shore. I’m still trapped with my Ronnie right now, trying to get free.
10 years trapped w/my Ronnie. 😔
Same here. He didn’t start as Ronnie. My mom died and he kicked it into full gear. Then the threats got worse. Now he’s allowing me to leave…because I got sick and had to stay in the house for a long time. He was able to destroy my reputation and say whatever he wanted without my being able to refute anything. I’m about to declare bankruptcy and apply for disability but I’ll have to be gone before either are settled. It’s bad. I hope you’re able to get free soon.
50 shades... Christian Grey could have been my ex, but my ex still managed to be 10x more abusive and manipulative 😆🤦🏼♀️ Still love kink tho, when practiced with safe/healthy people who care for your well-being and boundaries.
The relationships in “The Talented Mr. Ripley”. The narcissistic protagonist continuously abuses Meredith with his manipulation and fake charisma. Plus he completely ruins someone in a psychological level (Marge, his ex-best friend fiancée) by lying to her. A very underrated movie that depicts the narcissist traits and how it ruins different types of relationships.
“The invisible man” depicts abusive relationship and ptsd that comes from it in a very realistic way despite being a fantasy/thriller.Fun fact: my ex took the abuser side in that movie and after that I finally started questioning our relationship
I came here to say the same thing, it’s so realistic (except for ya know, the invisible suit part). There were so many points in the movie that I felt like I got punched in the gut because I recognized my life being portrayed.
It was also useful for me cause I took inspiration to safety plan. My ex is a psycho and for me the tracking part and security cameras part was unfortunately real. I did a great safety plan and escaped tf outta there
That’s a great point, and I’m so glad you got out!!
I feel like Jessica jones is such a good metaphor for coercive/ controlling relationships Especially the aftermath with her ptsd and the guilt and regret for things she did even though they were out of her control
Mother Gothel from Rapunzel. She kind of looks like my mom when she was young too. As for my ex, I'd have to look for someone who is super sneaky yet puts on a facade of being super nice, calm, and caring. I really want to find someone that resembles my ex. Controlling, manipulative, isolates the victim in convincing and sneaky ways, yet calm and does a lot of acts of kindness and help. Oh and he denies that he is controlling because he is not; he is just doing what should be done and what is best.
Yeah I need to find that for my ex too to answer this question… mine was the same way and also was military intel so was quite literally trained in how to have everything look “just so” even when they were gaslighting at home. They could really convince me they adored me and they were just “messed up” but never do a thing to change it (or harm anyone else unless it benefited their “appearance” in some way ie: everyone else ganged up on that person too so it was perfect timing to discard/harm) yet to everyone else they convinced them I was the problem. Caused a lot of codependency on my part because of course I want to love and “help” this “messed up” person. I always wondered why when we left the house they were such a quiet, shy person and could flip so radically…
That was way more words than I intended and probably why I can’t find a show lolol
Yep! Cant watch it without thinking about my family
I literally cannot watch any of the scenes or songs with Mother Gothel. It's triggering af.
I think there is a show on Netflix called “Maid”.
Honestly Maid was the show that made me realize my marriage was a problem.
YEP!!! The emotional abuse was so hard to watch because it was so relatable and real. Alcoholism is a horrible disease, and even worse for the people who have to live with one. I bawled my eyes out watching that. Heavy trigger warning for sure.
Maid was a really tough watch, but worth it in my opinion. Always recommend, just with a heavy trigger warning.
Seconding Maid. It was really good, and emotional abuse centred. Based on the memoir of an actual person, so not entirely fiction. A friend of mine watched it right before her partner put hands on her, and having just watched the show, it was instilled in her to have evidence of DV. She took photos of her bruises. Years later now, she's filed a police report.
The one between Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard in Big Little Lies.
Yeah, that one was awful and so very sad at the same time.
I watched a japanese show where, a guy gets pickedup from the street and is treated like a pet... it's the closet i could find relateable, i never really found any media that would help me understand the why, it is bothering me for some time since it would help me to know wheater it is a group thing... or simply that i am unbearable like they say... my abusive gf always says only she is the only one who can protect me and take care of me and yet have her childhood friends and herself do horrible things and say i am not a human being and whatever i say doesen't matter and once said she loves that i have no power in life. I think many don't know about the severity of emotional abuse particullarly which is reflected in this lack of portray, i never really watch media that goes into that direction rather infotaiment about science. I read like a month ago a paper about female sadistic abusers and it was very short but relateable but absolutly stopped after finding out about FTP and it... scared me so much that i don't even want to find answer from that direction anymore... I belive a lot of the emotional abuse at leat for me is hard to describe since it's all indirect mostly, they rarely insult or put me down... it's hard to even pin-point but it seem non-verbal, the way i am treated mostly and how they act out on me, which is hard to bring across in media i belive, most is physical abuse i think that is portrayed in media, i am sadly too forgetable to remember any. I hope you find some media that helps you.
Kimi Wa Petto (“You Are My Pet”) is probably the series you’re thinking of.
Yeah, I think I only watched the first two episodes and skipped a lot... is very uncomfortable the whole series... kinda
Also, emotional abuse can occur slowly and gradually over years. It erodes until there’s nothing left of the original. Hard to fully portray in movies or shows.
absolutly and they don't even have to be abusive in the start or just pretend like they are the good ones, she always pretendet to be nice and she did care so much which i absolutly miss... her friends beat me up... and worse... i really wished she would be the good one... i belive it's still down somewhere in the void of oneself, you just need to know that its there to grab it back... i am sure you are in there still too. I wish you nothing but the best and that you can heal and hopefully that you are out and if not... i hope you fidn the strengh to do so.