Love Shouldn't Hurt: Recognizing Dating Violence

One in five teens is affected by dating abuse (which can be emotional, physical, or both) according to this entry in the acclaimed PBS-aired youth series In the Mix, which features footage from a symposium for high school students, sponsored by a local women's shelter and a group called STAR, which stands for Students Terminating Abusive Relationships (a peer intervention and outreach group briefly profiled at the end of the program, although no information is given on how to obtain resources or start a chapter). The balance of this poorly-shot (with terrible audio) program is comprised of randomly-edited clips from an improvisational drama troupe who perform vignettes illustrating common scenarios of dating violence and possible responses. Unfortunately, there's very little coherence to all of this, with the end result that Love Shouldn't Hurt comes off feeling like an amateur video school project, not an installment from an award-winning series. Even though it's much older, a better choice might be another In the Mix title, Twisted Love: Dating Violence Exposed (VL-11/96), or the comprehensive Dating Violence and Abuse (VL-7/00). Not recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (E. Gieschen)