"THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW" FILM ANALYSIS

The movie "The Woman in the Window" focused on agoraphobia, antisocial personality disorder, and their symptoms, which developed after the shocking event experienced by Anna Fox. Anna Fox spends most of the day watching her neighbors. The film tells the story of Anna Fox, who thinks she saw a murder. Anna is a character who has difficulty coping with the tragic events in her life while continuing her career as a child psychologist.

Jan 19, 2024 - 12:24
Jan 22, 2024 - 17:22
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"THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW" FILM ANALYSIS
"THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW" FILM ANALYSIS

The movie "The Woman in the Window" focused on agoraphobia, antisocial personality disorder, and their symptoms, which developed after the shocking event experienced by Anna Fox. Anna Fox spends most of the day watching her neighbors. The film tells the story of Anna Fox, who thinks she saw a murder. Anna is a character who has difficulty coping with the tragic events in her life while continuing her career as a child psychologist. With the pain of losing his wife and daughter, he has become unable to leave his home, which he sees as a safe haven. This internal conflict made his daily life static and isolated. Meeting Anna's neighbors, especially the time she spent with Aliastair, Jane and Ethan, added a new perspective to her life. However, Anna's perception of reality is shaken by her testimony that Jane is dead. His efforts to explain this situation to the police get stuck in prejudices about his psychological health. The fact that she takes medication, consumes alcohol, and does not leave the house undermines the credibility of what Anna says. In an effort to find evidence, Anna tries to prove the truth by using the cat photo she took while chatting with Jane in the kitchen. However, their efforts are initially unsuccessful and the police continue to believe that Jane is still alive. However, it later becomes clear that the person killed was not actually Jane, but Aliastair's ex-wife Katherine, who introduced herself as Jane. The film is shaped by Anna's trauma, isolation and her relationship with reality. While the pain of losing his wife and daughter affects his life, the events he experiences with his neighbors help him face this trauma and reveal the truth.


INVESTIGATION IN THE CONTEXT OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder in which a person exhibits long-lasting stress responses following a traumatic event. According to DSM-5, PTSD is defined based on specific criteria. These criteria include intrusive memories lasting more than a month after the trauma, distress towards internal and external stimuli related to the trauma, recurrent nightmares, avoidance of traumatic events, development of negative thoughts and emotions, and changes in behavior related to this experience. Anna appears to have experienced similar symptoms following the loss of her husband and child. It turns out that the flying images Anna sees during her panic attack are actually snowflakes flying as a result of a snow-related disaster. From here it becomes clear that Anna is experiencing flashbacks. The fact that he believes they are alive and claims that they talked on the phone shows that he is in denial about the terrible scenario he is in. From this we can conclude that the ability to evaluate reality is inhibited. Moving away from others or feeling alienated indicates avoidance behaviors. Arousal is the sudden shock caused by sounds. This assessment shows that Anna has symptoms of PTSD and is under the influence of the trauma she experienced. At this point, it is important to get professional help and be directed to treatment processes.


INVESTIGATION IN THE CONTEXT OF AGORAPHOBIA

The first pathological disease featured in the film is Anna's agoraphobia. Having lost his wife and daughter as a result of the tragedy, he became distrustful of the outside world and became unable to leave the house where he had built a safe haven for himself. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association, agoraphobia is included among the anxiety disorders. When we look at the DSM-5 A and B diagnostic criteria, we can see that there is a lot of fear and anxiety about taking public transportation, being in closed spaces, being in crowded places, and leaving the house. The main character of the film, Anna Fox, shows signs of not being able to leave her home. Although there are no visuals of Anna taking public transportation or being in a crowd in the movie scenes, it is assumed that this situation will cause serious anxiety in her. Reasons for not seeing the outside as a safe area may include his phone not working and not being able to reach anyone when he wanted to call for help to save his wife and daughter. As a result of the trauma he experienced, he thinks "No one can save me when I need help." Another striking aspect of agoraphobia in the movie is that the therapist visits Anna's house regularly and organizes the sessions accordingly. Another notable moment is when Anna wakes up to the sound of eggs being thrown into her house during the Halloween celebrations. He should approach the door and warn the children. However, this was an extremely difficult situation for her, and when Anna reached the door, her heart rate increased, she began to cry, and we see that she eventually fainted in terror.

INVESTIGATION IN THE CONTEXT OF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

Antisocial personality disorder can be interpreted by looking at the behavior of Ethan, the murderer of the movie. Individuals with antisocial personality disorder engage in illegal actions that violate social standards, such as lying, truancy, stealing, fighting, and substance use, and they do not feel bad about it. Ethan's disdain for the rights of others, violent outbursts of anger at school, his tendency to lie, and his inability to empathize can all be attributed to antisocial behavior.

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Berra Deniz Keskin Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Kuzey Kıbrıs Kampüsünde Rehberlik ve Psikolojik Danışmanlık 4.sınıf öğrencisiyim.