MeDIDa

MeDIDa

por Avoticat
ArtesCriticas de Cine
MeDIDa: Revisiting Split (2016) with Irene from The Solar System
Episode 15 of MeDIDa, and we're going back to Split, diving deeper in conversation with Irene from The Solar System! Split is a film written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan. It premiered in 2016 before being released to the general, global audience in 2017. The film depicts a group of girls getting kidnapped by a man with DID, who plans to sacrifice them to a supernatural alter called The Beast. It is the current cultural touchstone for DID in media, and in this Revised episode, Irene from The Solar System talks about her experience with this piece of media (spoiler alert: it's still not good). If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com. If you want to contact Irene from the Solar System, you can find her on various social media here: https://linktr.ee/ireneishealing Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E15
26 jul 2026
1:30:00
MeDIDa: Heart and Souls
Episode 14 of MeDIDa, and we're talking about Heart and Souls. Heart and Souls is a 1993 film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Robert Downey Jr. The story follows the fate of a young boy who had four spirits attached to him as a child, and what happens when those spirits come back and interfere with his adult life. This film is not explicitly nor intentionally representing plurality, and yet I still feel like there's something there that speaks to multiplicity. Let's see if you agree that Heart and Souls is actually about multiplicity! If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E14
12 jul 2026
28:42
MeDIDa: M. Night Shyamalan’s Split
Episode 13 of MeDIDa, and we are unfortunately discussing M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. Split is a film written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan. It premiered in 2016 before being released to the general, global audience in 2017. The film depicts a group of girls getting kidnapped by a man with DID, who plans to sacrifice them to a supernatural alter called The Beast. Split quickly became the cultural touchstone for dissociative identity disorder. For many people, this film is the only piece of media that they have seen explicitly representing DID. So, how does this film go about covering such a complex and sensitive topic while also making the person with DID the film's antagonist? (Spoiler alert: it doesn't cover it with any complexity or sensitivity). If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E13
28 jun 2026
27:40
MeDIDa SPECIAL: Documentary Review and Interview, We Are Jeni featuring Dr. Jeni Haynes
Episode 12 of MeDIDa is a very special episode, where I review the documentary We Are Jeni, and speak one-on-one with Dr. Jeni Haynes (part 2)! The documentary, We Are Jeni, was released earlier this year, 2026, with premiere screenings in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne on March 15th, 17th, and 19th respectively. The documentary was directed by Mariel Thomas and Akhim Dev, and specifically documents the Australian criminal case against Jeni’s father, Richard Haynes. The documentary is currently available for viewing in Australia on SBS On Demand, with a slight variation edit available as a docuseries available in the US and UK on HBOMax. Content warnings: childhood abuse, childhood neglect, childhood sexual assault, incest, rape, reference to Jeni’s trigger around babies due to childhood pregnancy and miscarriages, systemic injustices, silencing, ableism, fear of anatomy, homophobia, kink, Billy Milligan, and the representation of MPD/DID across various media. If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E12
14 jun 2026
2:22:43
MeDIDa SPECIAL: Memoir Review and Author Interview, The Girl in the Green Dress by Dr. Jeni Haynes
Episode 11 of MeDIDa is a very special episode, where I review the memoir The Girl in the Green Dress, and speak one-on-one with Dr. Jeni Haynes about her book and recent documentary, We Are Jeni (review and second part of the interview coming soon)! The Girl in the Green Dress is a memoir, published in 2022 by Hachette Australia, is co-written by Dr George Blair-West, who treated Jeni for many years. It has also just recently been released as an audiobook, narrated by Jeni Haynes! The book chronicles Jeni’s life, including the abuse she experienced at the hands of her father throughout her childhood and how this childhood formed her complex system of over 2,500 alters, and goes on to tell her journey of justice, holding her father legally accountable for his crimes, and healing. Content warnings: childhood abuse, childhood torture, childhood neglect, childhood sexual assault, incest, rape, not being believed and gaslighting, victim blaming, systemic abuses and injustices, legal injustices, silencing, ableism, medical abuse, suicide baiting, false accusations, False Memory Syndrome and the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, and Billy Milligan. If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E11
7 jun 2026
2:06:31
MeDIDa: Jack Stauber's Opal
Episode 10 of MeDIDa, and we are discussing Jack Stauber's Opal. Jack Stauber's Opal is a short musical film that premiered on Adult Swim in 2020. The short depicts a child, Opal, as she explores a dark house after being drawn into it by a wailing siren song, and is repeatedly mistaken for another young girl known as Claire. Jack Stauber's Opal is not explicitly depicting DID, but it is explicitly depicting an abusive household and the impact of that on a young child, and as a result I believe it shows strong evidence of the early stages of structural dissociation and DID. I'm curious as to if you'll agree... Does Opal depict DID? If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E10
24 may 2026
1:24:37
MeDIDa SPECIAL: Memoir Review and Author Interview, Fractured Motherhood by Maggie Walters
Episode 9 of MeDIDa is a Special Episode, this time a Mother's Day special! I am reviewing the memoir Fractured Motherhood, and I also sit down again with Maggie Walters for an interview! This episode is dedicated to all those who did not have the mother that they needed growing up. Fractured Motherhood has been independently published through Blue Gum Publishing in 2026, only officially released 15th April, and discusses her journey in parenting and also her own relationship with her parents, and how DID/MPD impacts her parenting. Walters has once again been incredibly vulnerable in sharing her life with us, showing the complicated and messy parts in a deeply authentic way, while also demonstrating that parenting with DID is not what you'd think and breaking down stigma around it. You can buy Fractured Motherhood through Maggie Walters website, https://www.maggie-walters.com, as well as through Amazon or other book retailers, and I would highly recommend! If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E9
10 may 2026
1:07:56
MeDIDa: Petals of a Rose
Episode 8 of MeDIDa, and we are discussing Petals of a Rose Petals of a Rose is a 2023 short film created by Dylan Crumpler, co-written by Dylan Crumpler and Holly Crumpler and draws heavily on Holly's lived experience with dissociative identity disorder. The 15-minute film shows a day in the life of Rose, a women living with DID while she tries to navigate a Valentine's Day date with her boyfriend, Jeremy, without triggering her alters. Petals of a Rose claims to be an accurate representation of dissociative identity disorder, but does it succeed? Let's discuss both the positives and the negatives of the plural community's favourite DID film. If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E8
26 abr 2026
45:21
MeDIDa: The Swan Book
Episode 7 of MeDIDa, and we are discussing The Swan Book The Swan Book is a 2013 novel written by Alexis Wright and published by Giramondo Publishing. Set in a dystopian future, with climate change and political fallout being a central theme, the book follows Oblivia, a mute young woman who was gang raped as a child, who goes on to marry the first Indigenous President of Australia, and her struggle for autonomy in a collapsing world. The Swan Book offers an intimate awareness of the realities facing Aboriginal people; the energy and humour in her writing, which draws freely on myth and legend, finds hope in the bleakest situations. The Swan Book does not intentionally depict multiplicity or DID, but there are a lot of indications that Oblivia may be multiple... Join Avoticat and special guest, James, as we discuss whether The Swan Book is a good representation of plurality! If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E7
12 abr 2026
1:20:36
MeDIDa SPECIAL: Memoir Review and Author Interview, SPLIT A Life Shared by Maggie Walters
Episode 6 of MeDIDa is a Special Episode! I am reviewing the memoir SPLIT A Life Shared: Living with Multiple Personality Disorder, and I also sit down with Maggie Walters for an interview! SPLIT was independently published through Blue Gum Publishing in 2024, and chronicles Maggie’s journey with DID/MPD in her life so far. Walters also does author talks to share her lived experience, opening the conversation and helping to break down the stigma associated with DID, along with running workshops for mental health professions, as well as for aspiring authors and providing author support, particularly those trying to navigate independent publishing. This book is available through Maggie Walters website, as well as through Amazon and other online booksellers (though I highly recommend buying it directly from Walters herself) and is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. SPLIT is a memoir that is open, honest, and deeply vulnerable. While media representation is important in helping people see themselves in stories, and media still has a long way to go with DID and multiplicity depictions, nothing will do a better job of it than the actual voices of those lived experiences. If you have any comments or suggestions about media to cover, or even would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to medidapodcast@gmail.com Intro and Outro music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague
E6
29 mar 2026
1:05:30
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