Searching for Angela Shelton
Just returned from The Flicks and looked in the mirror. My eyes are red and the dreaded puffiness is beginning to appear beneath my sad eyes. I went to The Flicks tonight in support of a good cause, the Idaho Women's Network, by paying $10/ticket to watch Searching for Angela Shelton. The movie is a documentary about an extraordinary woman named Angela Shelton, who wants to interview all the Angela Sheltons in the U.S. to find out their story and to figure out herself in the process. This documentary had a twist: the director, Angela Shelton, had been a victim of child abuse by her father and consenting family members. I use the word consenting, because they let it go on. What was amazing, was that of the 40 Angela Sheltons who were contacted, 24 of them had experienced some sort of sexual abuse (rape, beaten, or molested) in their past as well. Think about it: 60%. What about the women who were contacted and chose not to be interviewed?
I was entranced as I watched each interview, but my strong demeanor cracked when the director lost it and began screaming, cussing and throwing things in frustration. She had spoken with her father on Father's Day and he had denied everything. The emotion she showed, shook me to the core. I had witnessed that same type of outburst in my past; in person. This struck home... hardcore.
After the documentary, there was an open discussion amongst the women/men who had attended the film. A lot of the comments echoed my sentiments, but I was also struck how 2 women opened up about their past and their words were met with silence. How do you respond to someone who says they took their daughter's case to court and were turned away because a rape kit hadn't been used EVEN THOUGH the guy admitted he had done it. What do you say?
I've always wanted to get involved with helping women and children of abuse, but how? Like one of the women mentioned in the film, it's hard to see the victims and try to help them... especially when the numbers keep growing. Thinking about it now, I can think of different ways to help. There's the personal involvement, like being a court advocate or rape counseling. Then there's belonging to organizations that help abused women and children. And finally there's donating money to organizations that help abused women and children.
It's easy to try and rationalize what can be done to help, but on the way home, the dam broke and I fell into uncontrollable sobs. I strongly recommend this movie. Perhaps if we begin to bring taboo subjects to light, discussions can begin, people will start helping more and the abuse will decrease and eventually disappear. In a perfect world, eh?
I was entranced as I watched each interview, but my strong demeanor cracked when the director lost it and began screaming, cussing and throwing things in frustration. She had spoken with her father on Father's Day and he had denied everything. The emotion she showed, shook me to the core. I had witnessed that same type of outburst in my past; in person. This struck home... hardcore.
After the documentary, there was an open discussion amongst the women/men who had attended the film. A lot of the comments echoed my sentiments, but I was also struck how 2 women opened up about their past and their words were met with silence. How do you respond to someone who says they took their daughter's case to court and were turned away because a rape kit hadn't been used EVEN THOUGH the guy admitted he had done it. What do you say?
I've always wanted to get involved with helping women and children of abuse, but how? Like one of the women mentioned in the film, it's hard to see the victims and try to help them... especially when the numbers keep growing. Thinking about it now, I can think of different ways to help. There's the personal involvement, like being a court advocate or rape counseling. Then there's belonging to organizations that help abused women and children. And finally there's donating money to organizations that help abused women and children.
It's easy to try and rationalize what can be done to help, but on the way home, the dam broke and I fell into uncontrollable sobs. I strongly recommend this movie. Perhaps if we begin to bring taboo subjects to light, discussions can begin, people will start helping more and the abuse will decrease and eventually disappear. In a perfect world, eh?
