Sarah Logan and Complicated Family Trauma in ‘The Taking Of Deborah Logan’ [The Lone Queer]
We’re here. We’re queer. And we’re going to take some deep dives into The Lone Queer characters present in horror films past. In the past, obvious queer representation has been scarce. Coding and baiting were prevalent, but there are some characters who have stood out as solid queer individuals. Most of those end up dead and buried by the film’s end thus giving birth to the phrase, “Bury your queers.” So let’s resurrect and appreciate those who were buried, appreciate those who survived, and those who were just a little bit naughty. Let’s give the respect that is deserved for The Lone Queer.
Adam Robitel’s The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014), co-written by Gavin Heffernan, is a heartbreaking, relentless, and terrifying found footage film concerning Alzheimer’s Disease. The film concerns the titular Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) as she struggles with the progression of the disease. A film crew is there to document her daily life as this happens, but things start to get a little more intense as a possible possession becomes involved. In the midst of this is Deborah’s daughter, Sarah (Anne Ramsay), the only surviving family member. Sarah is our lone queer.
Sarah has relocated from her hometown of Richmond, Virginia to take care of Deborah. She’s left behind her life, including her girlfriend, Shelby, to be there for her mother. There’s never a moment where Sarah regrets doing this. She’s all in when it comes to Deborah’s health. In the beginning, the strong-willed Deborah declares that she doesn’t need the help. Sarah still sticks around. She’s agreed to have the documentary crew film their experience as it will help them with their financial burdens.
Also Read: Director Adam Robitel Talks How He Got THAT Shot In ‘The Taking of Deborah Logan’ [Exclusive Interview]
Taking place in Virginia, which is right on the border of “how conservative can it be” in America, there are some issues with Sarah’s sexuality when it comes to Deborah. The film doesn’t make this an entire issue, but there are moments throughout in which it is mentioned. Those moments start off very small. Particularly, Deborah makes comments here and there about Sarah’s appearance or things that she enjoys; “She loved cars. She’s a big ball player,” or “…that shirt, I hate. Can’t you wear a nice blouse?” Sarah’s lack of femininity is a sore spot for Deborah. Even when she’s further into the possession, she growls, “My daughter doesn’t like manicures. Her fingernails are always dirty.”
Just like any conservative parent of a queer person, the actual use of queer labels seems to be hard to say. There’s even a moment where Deborah tells Sarah that she should go back to Richmond. “I know you’re missing your lady friend, anyway,” is the reasoning she gives for this. Before this statement, we aren’t truly aware if Deborah is aware – Alzheimer’s to blame or not – of Sarah’s sexuality. We do come to learn that Sarah was sent to a boarding school at the age of ten because she was caught kissing another girl. Sarah brings up Catholicism as the reason for this, as well as the shame her mother would feel from the community for having a lesbian daughter.
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From this, we gather that Sarah’s sexuality is definitely a sore subject between the two. Being sent off to boarding school at age 10 because your mother is literally afraid of having a lesbian daughter is 100% a good enough reason to have some sort of trauma. Yet, here Sarah is, taking care of her mother who is declining because of a horrible disease. She’s away from her home and her girlfriend and is being a provider for the woman who sent her away based on her sexuality.
Here’s where things get complicated. Sarah’s assumption that she got sent away to boarding school for being caught kissing another girl isn’t the truth. There’s a different reason as to why Deborah did what she did. The entity that is possessing Deborah during her weakened state is that of a doctor, Henry Desjardins. Desjardins killed four young girls when Sarah was young in order to complete a ritual that would result in his immortality. Through Deborah’s job as a switchboard operator, she learned that Sarah was to be his fifth and final victim to complete the ritual. Using the perfectly timed excuse of Sarah’s sexuality as a reason, Deborah sent Sarah away, but to protect her. Then Deborah, along with her friend, Harris (Ryan Cutrona), murdered Desjardins to make sure he would never complete his ritual.
Also Read: ‘Once Bitten’ And Sebastian, The Film’s Queer Renfield [The Lone Queer]
The morality question, here is, is it better to think that you were sent away because of your sexuality, or because you were to be sacrificed for a man’s immortality? Perhaps Deborah’s aforementioned Catholicism chose the latter to be the heaviest on her conscience. Murder is absolutely worse than being queer. In these times, queer individuals are being sought out for murder under the guise of many religions (evangelicalism and Catholicism being the top in the United States) so one would think that for a religious person such as Deborah, they’d be one and the same.
This isn’t looked at within The Taking of Deborah Logan, but perhaps Deborah was a bit more lenient on Sarah’s sexuality. In a way, Deborah was protecting Sarah from a tragic – or, er, more tragic – past. Surely, most queer kids would love to know that their parent protected them from death at the hands of a sadistic, selfish individual. Being sent away based on their sexuality at such a young age does damage to an individual. It’s touched upon within the film that the result of being sent definitely affected Sarah. She has issues with alcohol. At one point, she determines that she’s sure she will die of liver toxicity. That trauma has been placed within Sarah, and it has affected her life for 30+ years.
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By the final acts of The Taking of Deborah Logan, Sarah and the film crew have discovered the truth of the past. We aren’t privy to how Sarah reacts after the film’s events. We do know that Deborah was probably unable to explain everything in detail due to an immense declination of her health after the possession. It is with the hope that in Sarah’s life, she got some true closure from her mother. There’s no doubt that she stayed by her mother’s side until the end.
The view on Alzheimer’s Disease in The Taking of Deborah Logan was deep enough for the film. It’s a respectful and insightful look into the disease that offers information within its first half. What it does even better is showcase the familial unit’s battle altogether. An added bonus deep within the film is the queer text that was also given. The levels that Adam Robitel and Gavin Heffernan provided with their work deserve so much love.
Categorized:Editorials The Lone Queer
