Date Watched: July 25, 2011
Source: Netflix Instant Play
This is a film about two sisters who were molested as little girls by their father’s best friend, who, with his wife, frequently vacationed with the family. Now, as adults, they are confronting their molester face-to-face. Along for the confrontation is the girls’ mother, who feels responsible for what happened. Their father has passed away several years ago. One sister didn’t get it as bad, and so she has a husband and children. The younger sister got it much worse, and now can’t trust men and is significantly more screwed up because of what happened. They start by meeting with the ex-wife and daughters of their attacker, who never knew what happened, and after they’re filled in, they support the endeavor. Then, the two sisters and mother have a therapy session to ready them. They write letters, choose a day, and go to his apartment. He’s not there, so they wait, and wait, go home, call him, and when he answers, they simply hang up and go back to the apartment. They confront him, words are exchanged, and then they leave, and it’s done. That’s the gist of it.
I don’t care a whole lot about spoilers in documentaries, which is good because documentaries are informational and therefore I have SOME OPINIONS ON SOME THINGS.
First: If you are going to confront the man who molested you as a child, who obviously has a sexual attraction to children, why in sweet mercy would you meet with him WEARING PIGTAILS?! Especially when you are the one who was abused the most? What are you doing, trying to bait him to do it again by making yourself look childish? IDIOT.
Second: I get that you were molested, and I get that it’s extremely traumatizing. But if you’re going to make a documentary about this whole confrontational, therapeutic process, try REALLY HARD to edit out most of your crying and whining. Watching the younger sister was very akin to being in a grocery store near a screaming, wailing child. Now, I am not downplaying what she’s going through. But we, the viewers, don’t need that. All it did was make her extremely annoying. Then she wore the pigtails to confront the guy and it was very hard to sympathize with her.
Third: Very early on in the film, the younger sister describes how everyone walked around naked in their house… which is not all that strange. Lots of families do that. Then, she says they showered with their father as little girls. Okay… that’s a little more strange, but I’m sure there are a bunch of families who are okay with that practice too. THEN, she ever so casually includes that they used to play with their father’s penis. Wait… what?? You… played with your father’s penis as a child? AND NOBODY THINKS THAT’S WRONG OR ABUSIVE?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Fourth: How in the love of bacon are you (here’s the completely moronic younger sister again) going to sit there, having a pleasant conversation with your attacker, then gang up on him with your sister and mother and rip him to shreds, ultimately asking him questions that really aren’t any of your business (like if there were others), and then stay by yourself again and finish off with more pleasant talk, laughing, and a HUG?? A FREAKIN’ HUG!! Really? REALLY??
Fifth: And after the pleasant talk, laughing, and the EVER-LOVING HUG, you proceed to go outside and wail again. For, like, minutes. Great… I get that. But EDIT. IT. OUT.
You know, I really have to say… if they had just made the documentary about the older sister, this would have been a heart-wrenching, empowering film. But because of the younger sister, it’s very hard to even care about what she’s going through. I’m not a calloused person, by any means. But you really need to know what you’re doing when you make a film like this. Excessive whining/crying/wailing and WEARING PIGTAILS and HUGGING YOUR ATTACKER.. gah!! It’s enough to make you want to throttle her through the screen.
Aaaaagh!
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