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What Haunts Us

Name: What Haunts Us
Director: Paige Tolmach
Released: 2017
Duration: 72 min

Representation Score

6.9/10

Good

2017

TV-MA

Director

Paige Tolmach

Runtime

72 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

What Haunts Us is a deeply personal documentary that examines the pressures and ghosts within a traditional Southern institution. Instead of celebrating a nostalgic hometown, it investigates the systemic forces that contribute to self-destructive behavior among a specific, historically homogeneous demographic. The film excels in its psychological depth and its challenge to traditional masculine ideals. It shifts the focus from communal nostalgia to a complex examination of how insular social structures can lead to systemic trauma. However, the narrative is limited by its narrow focus on a specific group of men, resulting in limited visibility of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds.

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Category Breakdown

Does What Haunts Us have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film hints at underlying tensions related to conforming to heterosexual norms without explicitly confirming LGBTQ themes.

How does What Haunts Us portray gender?

Fair

The documentary challenges the idea of a stable male leader by focusing on the vulnerabilities of a traditionally masculine group. It portrays masculinity as fragile and subject to internal struggles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is What Haunts Us?

Limited

The film focuses on a specific group of students from a private school, likely without much racial diversity. It critiques the insular nature of these traditional social structures.

How does What Haunts Us represent religion and culture?

Good

The film questions the idea of a beloved hometown by framing it through traumatic experiences. It prioritizes an investigative approach over a celebratory depiction of Southern community life.

Does What Haunts Us include disability representation?

Good

The film centers on mental health struggles, particularly around suicide and psychological distress. It provides a realistic portrayal of these issues without sensationalizing them.

Present on Screen

Highlights the psychological fragility of traditionally masculine figures.
Offers a nuanced look at mental health and the impact of suicide.
Questions nostalgic views of hometowns to reveal deeper social traumas.

Limited or Absent

Could benefit from more diverse racial and cultural representation.
Focuses primarily on a specific, homogeneous group of men.
Does not provide explicit evidence of LGBTQ+ themes.

Official Synopsis

The 1979 class of Porter Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina graduated 49 boys. Within the last 35 years, six of them have committed suicide. When Paige Goldberg Tolmach gets word that another former student from her beloved high school has killed himself, she decides to take a deep dive into her past in order to uncover the surprising truth and finally release the ghosts that haunt her hometown to this day.

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