So far in The Haunted and the Sick, I have praised multiple films on their ability to portray various illnesses properly and mentioned how they could do better. However, writers can learn by example, and sometimes a film needs to be thrown under the bus for that example to be clear. I have discussed DID before in my article on Session 9 (2001), and I will analyze its use, or misuse, again along with the demonization of homosexuality in Alexandre Aja’s 2003 film High Tension.
The film picks up pace fairly quickly, as a mysterious trucker knocks on the door of Alex’s family and slashes her father’s face with a straight razor in the middle of the night. The rest of the family is murdered with shallow violence as Marie finds Alex bound in chains in her bedroom. The rest of the film continues with more predictable kill scenes as Marie attempts to save her friend from this faceless, murderous trucker. It is later revealed that there is no trucker at all, and the crimes are being committed by Marie, and it is implied that these murders are motivated by her DID and her love for Alex.
According to the DSM-5, DID is commonly explained as “the presence of two or more distinct personality states.” Obviously Alex exhibits this symptom. However, she does not exhibit any other symptoms of DID. She does not exhibit any amnesia, loss of time, or lack of sense of self. The film starts with the two girls heading to Alex’s parent’s house and then the violence begins, the twist is thrown in, and there’s the ending. There is no backstory for any of these characters, especially Alex. DID is not a disorder that appears out of nowhere. While there are some genetic factors to be considered, it is a defense mechanism used by the brain to protect the patient from memories of serious trauma. The girls could have had a conversation in the car about Marie’s personal life, even hinting at past trouble or abuse, and it would at least provide some sympathy for her character and an open door for mental illness to play a part in this film.
Mental health issues are rarely genetic, and almost all stem from something. As a writer, an explanation for the actions of the characters is key to integrating mental illness as a legitimate motive. Another factor to take into consideration is that DID is not usually the biggest problem that the patient has—it indicates the severity of other illnesses they are suffering from. If the patient has an intense form of an eating disorder, PTSD, substance abuse, or BPD, that shows how deep that particular illness runs. DID is used by the brain to protect the patient from themselves, and they usually exhibit other illnesses, hence why their brain is trying to protect them in the first place. Marie exhibits no symptoms of any other mental illness. DID is used as a cop-out for a poorly written character.
One facet of Marie’s illness is portrayed properly, however. Different identities in DID patients can be unaware of each other, hence how Marie does not realize her murderous actions. DID patients commonly have a main personality that is described as “passive, dependent, guilty, and depressed.” Marie is dependent on Alex and the crush she has for her; it is very obvious in the conversations between the girls that Marie is more attached to the friendship than Alex. Marie begins to recognize this in the scene right before the murders begin, when she is outside and witnesses Alex showering. With DID, there is a chance that other personalities can be aggressive, hostile, and even violent. It is completely possible for Marie to have DID and have a violent personality, even if it is incredibly rare. The problem with her character is a lack of a backstory, and therefore an explanation as to why she is exhibiting these very serious mental issues.
The main issue I have with this film is the demonization of homosexuality. I understand that homosexuality was considered a racier topic when this film was made in 2003, but that doesn’t give the film the excuse to use it as a motive. There is no other implication of anything gone awry with Marie, besides the fact that she is homosexual. An audience can see that and demonize homosexuality because they associate it with a person going off the deep end and murdering people. Crimes of passion occur when there is a sense of uncontrollable rage. Marie is not angry when it comes to Alex, she is sad. She listens to Alex discuss her romps with various men, but does not appear to blame Alex for the way she feels. When she witnesses Alex showering and goes to her room to masturbate, she is not aggressive or forceful towards Alex, she leaves her alone. There is no obvious trigger to the switch Marie makes between her primary personality and her violent personality, besides her homosexual feelings towards her friend. The trucker appears right as Marie is reaching climax during masturbation, implying that the violence begins because of her “inappropriate” sexual feelings. At the end of the film, Marie sets Alex free and tells her everything will be okay, confesses her love for Alex, and forces a kiss onto her. Alex stabs Marie with a crowbar and Marie continues to repeat “I’ll never let anyone come between us.” This particular line implies that Marie committed the murders knowingly, which does not follow the DID narrative of having the unknown “trucker” alter, and also insinuates that she committed the murders so Alex would have no one left.
So, can this film be redeemed? No, not in my personal opinion. Marie needs a backstory and a consistent illness. If she had DID, the symptoms are exhibited incorrectly. Primary identities and alter identities typically do not know about each other, and if Marie knew about her murderous alter, why was she putting herself into this situation? Why was she acting oblivious at the end of the film when she “rescues” Alex from the truck and Alex pulls a knife out to defend herself? Primaries and alters either know about each other, or do not, that fact does not switch without extensive therapy used to merge the personalities into one. Maybe Marie’s character could be made aware of her alters, but then the story would need to change. Marie cannot appear innocent throughout the entire film if she knows she has the ability to split into another personality. Delusional and violent are two very different attributes when it comes to the mentally ill. High Tension portrays Marie as delusional, whereas her character could be written as someone who has suffered, developed a violent alter, and is dealing with that violent personality and still trying to function. That’s the most logical way that this film could ever be salvaged.
Also, addressing again the obvious demonization of homosexuality—none of it was necessary. Alex and Marie could have been written as friends, Alex unknowingly triggers Marie and she begins to split, and then the violence begins. It is rare to have another personality that is violent to the extent of the trucker, but it is possible. Marie could be trying to save Alex because, well, they are friends and it’s the right thing to do. The line “I’ll never let anyone come between us” can be removed altogether, making the focus of the film Marie’s illness rather than her love for Alex, ending the demonization of homosexuality in this film. Obviously homosexuality isn’t a mental illness, but it plays such a strong role in this film and was written so poorly in conjunction with DID that it needed to be addressed. I personally feel that the romantic angle was placed in this film for the sole purpose of shock value and not to add to the story.
Aja’s other films are fantastic and hit the mark every time. However, High Tension was a poorly written stab at the French extreme film movement in the 2000s. Writing characters with illnesses as complex as DID require extensive research and continuity, as to not give the audience a false idea of what these illnesses actually are. These taboo factors can be written into a story, but they need to be written so that they make sense and do not add unnecessary stigma to minorities that are already stigmatized.
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