‘Closet Monster’ is a 2015 drama movie written and directed by Stephen Dunn around Oscar, a young man close to a gay man who is devastated by an incident that happened in his childhood. Faced with her parent’s divorce and internal trauma, Oscar hides her sexuality while at the same time looking for a way to express herself.
The film discusses a number of complex themes and presents Oscar’s intellectual and emotional struggles through the use of horror and fiction. Finally, Oscar decides to deal with the pain of the past, which leads to some exciting results.
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Closet Monster: Synopsis
When 8-year-old Oscar Madly discovers that his parents are divorcing, he returns to a dream world full of fond memories and conversations with his talking pet, Buffy. One night, a young Oscar victim sees a young gay man who is being sexually assaulted by his own body.
Ten years later, eighteen-year-old Oscar is nearing graduation and is in the process of applying for a scholarship to a specialized makeup school in New York City. He finds a job in a hardware store hoping to spend less time with his father, who loves children and hates homosexuals.
At work, Oscar is attracted to a new employee, a confident and loving Wilder, but the sharp pain in Oscar’s stomach warns him. At home, Buffy tells Oscar that he looks happier and suggests that he is in love, an idea he quickly dismisses. Later, Oscar sniffs a shirt that Wilder borrowed, trying to masturbate, but is interrupted by another severe abdominal pain.
Oscar and Wilder’s friendship grew as Oscar’s relationship with his father became increasingly difficult. Wilder was fired from a hardware store and decided to leave, inviting Oscar to a farewell costume party. Returning home preparing for the event, Oscar discovers that he has been banned from the cosmetics school, which he is the only one to apply for. His father finds him trying on some of his mother’s clothes and the two argue a lot.
Oscar forces his father into the closet and runs to the party. Oscar spends the whole night trying to find out if Wilder is gay or not, and is raped by Andrew from Texas before he has painful thoughts. After his death, Oscar was resurrected by Wilder, who took them back to the Oscar tree house. Lying together, Wilder asks Oscar how long he has known he is gay, a question Oscar tries to avoid, but eventually admits he is confused and they end up kissing.
When Oscar wakes up, Wilder is no more. Not wanting to see his father, he goes to his mother’s house and tells her about the divorce. She comforts him and suggests that he stay with her. Seeing that he had left Buffy with his father, Oscar hurried to fetch her. Oscar’s room was destroyed by his father who did not want to tell him where his skull was.
His mother arrives and as his parents fight, Oscar searches for Buffy and finally finds her body in his possession. The pain in his stomach comes back with a vengeance and he sees a bell explode in him. He tore his body and threatened his father.
At his mother’s house, Oscar admits he did not go to college alone to apply. She is promoting the Fogo Island Art Gallery where he can showcase his art. After arriving on the island, he has one last conversation with Buffy and accepts the truth about him.
Buffy reveals his truth to Oscar: that she is clearly not the original hamster since his childhood and that she has been repeatedly replaced by his parents. He puts her in a small wooden boat and pushes her body into the sea. He goes back to his room and thinks about happy times with his father.
What Is The Real Meaning of Closet Monster?
The ‘Closet Monster’ deals with the complex problem of homophobia and is inspired by the life experiences of director Stephen Dunn. The movie focuses on Oscar Madly, a young man who sees young gay men being violently attacked with a metal bar. The incident leaves Oscar traumatized, and when he seeks an explanation from his father, he finds the answer to homophobia.
Throughout the movie, Oscar tries hard to deal with his sexuality and is confused about his feelings for the loving Wilder, a young co-worker at a hardware store. Oscar’s father, Peter, made several consistent statements about homosexuality, and his failure to see his son’s struggles created a place for Oscar’s oppression. Thus, Oscar has mixed feelings about his sexuality and the LGBTQ + community in general.
The word “closed” is often used to describe an LGBTQ + community member who is publicly prone to heteronormativity. In this movie, Oscar is the closest gay man to him. His struggle for sex is based on the environment in his home. The father retreats and denies that his son is gay.
This leads to ongoing arguments between father and son, which makes Peter have a stressful life in Oscar’s life. Peter, therefore, is a symbolic animal of Oscar. The legend has made a lot of jokes since Peter introduced the Oscar in magical stories as a child. Oscar finds a sense of relief in these stories and often dresses like a beast which can be seen as similar to hating the people he loves inside.
In the main scene, Oscar pushes his father into the closet before going to the party. The incident represents Oscar’s first confrontation with his father’s oppression. Thus, the figurative monster ends up in a closet, making the subject relevant to the story being told. Oscar’s sophisticated feelings about his sexuality result in a pattern of self-loathing.
Therefore, it can be said that a young person who is incarcerated sees himself or herself as a beast because of the homosexual treatment he or she receives. Finally, ‘The Closet Beast’ has an interpretive meaning referring to the sins of homosexuals inside and outside the main character of the story.
Closet Monster Ending: Is Buffy Dead?
At the climax of the movie, Oscar’s story comes in full force as he again sees his parents fighting. After Oscar returns home from his mother, he finds his father abandoning his room. As Peter and Brin argue, Oscar searches for Buffy to find his body in the yard among his belongings. The whole situation portrays Oscar with a stomach ache, the kind we’ve seen on his face regularly throughout the film. These abdominal pains are caused by a feeling of fear or pressure.
Oscar examines his stomach and finds a metal object protruding from it. Oscar breaks the metal and continues to attack his father. However, the teenager directs his mailbox attack and shocks Peter, who backs away from the house. Oscar uses a stick to lock his father inside.
The metal bar, linked to Oscar’s harassment, can be seen as a manifestation of his inner fears about his sexuality. Thus, the rod appears on Oscar’s abdomen. Oscar tearing the metal means dealing with his fears. He uses the same to attack his father and ends his suffering. Instead of being embarrassed about his true identity, Oscar finally accepts his truth.
Oscar’s relationship with his father is rooted in his fears about his sexuality. Oscar’s father, although loving and kind in his childhood, has grown older as Oscar has grown. Moreover, Peter did not hate homosexuals. Despite seeing the signs, he fails to notice that his son is gay. His tendency to escalate into a riot is reflected in his divorce from Brin and his ongoing feud with Oscar.
Therefore, Oscar’s fears about his father’s reaction to his sexual relationship are justified. In addition, Peter Oscar’s mistreatment compels the young man to accept his true identity. Finally, Oscar confronting his father with an iron rod – a manifestation of his inner fear – is a powerful moment that serves as the culmination of a young man’s inner turmoil.
After arguing with Peter, Oscar stays with his mother for a while. He has stated that he wants to leave the city but has not yet been admitted to college. Recognizing her son’s dream of becoming a special artist and makeup artist, Brin suggests that Oscar move to the artist’s colony on Fogo Island and continue developing his skills. So, Oscar begins a new chapter in his life on Fogo Island. However, before he leaves, he pays tribute to his talking animal hamster, Buffy. Oscar sets Buffy’s body in the boat and is able to have one last conversation with him before taking him out to sea.
During the conversation, Buffy revealed that he was not the same hamster that Oscar had in his childhood and that his parents had changed him several times. The same was noted during a conversation with Oscar and Wilder, in which Oscar failed to recognize the sex of the pet. The incident also revealed that although Buffy was real, Oscar’s conversations were also part of his thinking. Oscar and Buffy’s bond is another comfort when the hamster is always driving the teen on the right track. Oscar often confides in her and seeks advice about his life.
In many ways, Oscar’s attachment to Buffy can be traced back to his troubled relationship with his mother. Oscar’s instability after not getting Buffy’s results on his rejection issues, while his conversations with the hamster have a warm tone with mom. In addition, Oscar’s insistence that Buffy be a female hamster suggests that she is a participant in Brin’s absence from his life.
Unsurprisingly Oscar develops a relationship with Buffy based on his need for a mother’s love and guidance that is not in his life. Buffy is just another ordinary hamster with unusual abilities, and his ability to speak and offer comfort stems from Oscar’s troubled attitude. Eventually, Oscar reconciles with his mother and no longer needs Buffy to comfort him. Therefore, he bids farewell to his beloved pet.
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