A Sweet Escape | Marie Antoinette and the Preserving Seven

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Ingrassia and TJ Dawe explore Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette as a portrait of the Preserving Seven subtype. Rather than a straightforward period piece, Coppola combines gilded excess with modern punk aesthetics to mirror Marie's internal world of distraction and avoidance. Compared to other Seven films, Marie Antoinette reveals how a Preserving Seven can become trapped within accumulated stimulation and numb herself through pleasure, fashion, and social engagement.

“And you see these moments in her when she does kind of feel the terror and feel the fear, but she bounces back really well. And this is a gift that Sevens have. They can get knocked down, and they can bounce back up and look for the bright side of things. And I think we see this throughout with Marie Antoinette.” - Mario [15:31]

“In the first 10-ish or so minutes of this film, she says virtually nothing. We’re just watching her as she’s experiencing these things that are happening to her. If you watch the first 10 minutes of Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn says more words in the first ten minutes than Marie Antoinette says in the entire film. And I think there’s something in there in terms of the Transmitting versus the Preserving difference.” - TJ Ingrassia [23:24]

“The note that I wrote down is she’s trapped in a golden prison. There is this sense that she’s enjoying these things, but it’s like she’s oppressed almost by this castle that she’s stuck in.” - TJ Dawe [34:17]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:03] Intro

[02:28] About this week’s movie

[04:13] Sofia Coppola's filmmaking style

[06:36] More thoughts on the film

[11:22] What's Seven-ish about Marie Antoinette

[17:55] The most Seven-ish scene

[20:24] Preserving: traditions and loyalty

[30:09] The Preserving Seven

[35:40] The happiest time at her life

[41:29] A different kind of Seven

[46:14] Copy and paste in another person

[49:54] Zone of Inner Conflict

[52:23] Marie Antoinette as a Transmitter or Navigator

[55:29] Typing the other characters

[1:01:12] Other Preserving Sevens

[1:05:49] Final thoughts

Connect with us:

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The Awareness to Action Enneagram Podcast

Mario Sikora:

IG: @mariosikora

TikTok: @mariosikora

Web: mariosikora.com

Substack: mariosikora.substack.com

Book: How to Think Well, and Why: The Awareness to Action Guide to Clear Thinking

TJ Dawe:

Web: tjdawe.ca

TJ Ingrassia:

Web: tjingrassia.com

YouTube: @TypeCast