Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story

Daniel Birman's Me Facing Life, which aired on PBS's Independent Lens series, moves beyond statistics about the juvenile justice system to bring one particular story to light. Birman spent six years with Cyntoia Brown, starting when she was a 16-year-old arrested for killing a man in self-defense. At the time, Brown was under the sway of a drug dealer, who coerced her into prostitution for money, which led her to 43-year-old John Allen, whom she shot in the back. In 2004, Brown begins a stay in a Nashville detention facility before her criminal trial begins—if the state tries her as an adult, she risks life in prison. Birman builds the central story via interviews with Cyntoia, family members, lawyers, and others involved in the case, including Dr. William Bernet, the court-appointed psychiatrist. Sexual abuse has plagued three generations of Brown women, including Cyntoia and her biological mother, Georgina, a woman with a history of alcoholism, crack addiction, mental illness, and imprisonment. When Georgina could no longer care for Cyntoia, a neighbor took her in. Here, mother, grandmother, and granddaughter Cyntoia all express regret that they never had the chance to form their own identities, separate from the controlling men in their lives. Cyntoia's trial eventually takes place in 2006, with the camera recording the final chapter in this sad story (although the end credits provide further updates). Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)