The Claire Cycle is a four part film series created by Buffalo-based artist Brian Milbrand. Each film in The Claire Cycle stars Milbrand as Claire and her male antagonist, including a date rapist, an abortion doctor and a priest. This series addresses Jungian archetypes in genre films ranging from documentary to horror. Claire is a representation of the Anima, the Jungian archetype that is the dream representation of the feminine aspects of the male psyche. Each film in the Cycle is an interpretation of the filmmaker’s dreams, and can be seen as an inner struggle between masculinity and femininity. The masculine characters can be read as different Jungian archetypes. The abortion doctor in There’s Nothing Harder than an Abortion represents The Wise Man archetype and the killer in The Killer represents The Shadow archetype.
The first film, Claire I: Rape (2003), begins with a light interview with Claire that turns dark as she recounts a recent encounter with a romantic interest. Claire II:There’s Nothing Harder than an Abortion (2005) follows Claire into an otherworldly doctor’s office where she finds out her fetus is lacking sex chromosomes. In Claire III: The Killer (2006), Claire is stalked throughout her house by a masked killer.
The final film in The Claire Cycle is Claire IV: The Scarlet Letter (2008), an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale. In this last installment, Claire has recently given birth to a child despite the fact that her husband has been missing for 2 years. The town, filled with religious fanatics, condemns Claire and outcasts her from their society.
These four films follow the Jung’s theory of the development of the Anima. The first anima is Eve, from Genesis. Eve is the object of sexual desire, stereotyped as a powerless woman. In the second phase, the anima becomes Helen, in reference to Helen of Troy. In Helen, there is a schism between the interior and exterior, where the anima can appear strong, though she lacks faith and virtue. The third phase is Mary, defined by the Virgin Mary. Mary is virtuous and pure. The final phase is Sophia, the greek word for wisdom. Only in the final phase does the anima have a proper union between action and virtue.
The Claire Cycle was co-written by Holly Johnson, and features the acting talent of John Carocci, Anna Chiaretta, Ron Ehmke, Taunee Grant, Holly Johnson, Liz Knipe, Eamonn O’Connor, Sarah Paul and Jen Roth. Chris Ernst, Lizzie Finnegan, Jen Gast, David Gracon, Josh Hinsdale, Carl Lee, Vince Mistretta and Jen Roth filmed The Claire Cycle.