The Strange Thing About the Johnsons

The narrative begins in 1995 with a troubling moment between father and son, continues through the 2009 wedding, and culminates in 2010. The span shows how secrets fester and escalate, shaping the characters’ lives over more than a decade.

The Johnson family home serves as the claustrophobic stage for a troubling father–son dynamic, where intimate moments reveal deeper traumas. Across years, the same rooms witness confessions, confrontations, and violence that unravel the family’s stability. The house stands as a symbol of inherited trauma within ordinary domestic life.

🗝️ Incest

A central focus of the film is the forbidden father–son relationship and the abuse that shadows the Johnson family. The story exposes how power, secrecy, and shame fuel harm across generations, revealed through memory, diaries, and devastating confrontations.

🔒 Secrets

The narrative turns on hidden histories: a memoir tucked under a pillow, whispered pasts, and the hidden pain that surfaces only under pressure. Secrets drive mistrust, manipulation, and a breakdown of familial bonds as the truth comes to light.

⚖️ Power

Power dynamics permeate every interaction within the household, with control shifting between father and son and later between mother and son. The violence is a grim demonstration of how dominance and fear govern private lives.

🧠 Trauma

Trauma threads through memory and perception, distorting what characters recall and believe. The film traces the long aftermath of abuse, showing how trauma shapes identity, reactions, and survival in an intimate family saga.