ABSTRACT

In this interview, I discuss with John Berardo his attempt, through his feature length debut Initiation (2020), to respond to cases of sexual abuse, how he calls his viewer to action, how Initiation developed, and its larger commentary. Through the film’s central mystery, Berardo weds together multiple cases of sexual assault and cyberbullying, a fraternity wherein the president wishes to have a member expelled, a university that takes little interest in its students, and a community the eyes of which seem forever locked in their phones. Berardo gained his MFA in Cinema Production at the University of Southern California (USC) and his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles. His short film ‘Dembanger’ (2013) is about the dangers of social media and it directly inspired Initiation. This interview contributes to scholarship by revealing ways in which the horror genre can be used to examine pressing social issues and by showing how Berardo capitalizes on the unknown to challenge larger establishments, such as university fraternity cultures and toxic masculinity.

摘要

在这次采访中，我与约翰·贝拉尔多讨论了他试图通过他的长篇处女作Initiation (2020) 来回应性虐待案件，他如何呼吁他的观众采取行动，Initiation如何发展，以及更大的评论。通过这部电影的核心谜团，贝拉尔多将多起性侵犯和网络欺凌案件结合在一起，这是一个总统希望开除成员的兄弟会，一所对其学生不感兴趣的大学，以及一个似乎永远被锁定的社区他们的手机。Berardo 在南加州大学 (USC) 获得电影制作硕士学位，在加州大学洛杉矶分校获得学士学位。他的短片“Dembanger”（2013 年）是关于社交媒体的危险的，它直接启发了启动。这次采访揭示了恐怖类型可以用来研究紧迫的社会问题的方式，并展示了贝拉多如何利用未知来挑战更大的机构，例如大学兄弟会文化和有毒的男性气质，从而有助于学术研究。