One Alcoholic to Another: Demystifying AA

Co-directors Eleanor Lanahan and Orly Yadin's documentary about Alcoholics Anonymous takes a specifically Vermont-oriented perspective, tracing the organization's roots to Bill Wilson and Bob Smith, the two Vermonters and alcoholics who founded the enduring program in 1935. The filmmakers visit the homes where Wilson and Smith grew up, stop in at the Congregational church Smith attended, and gather background information from historians. While Wilson returned to Vermont following college, Smith moved to Ohio, where AA began, before opening chapters in New York and elsewhere throughout the country. The film also addresses Vermont's history in relation to alcohol, including the popularity of locally produced hard cider, the temperance movement, rum running, and other developments. In its depiction of the modern-day meeting that runs throughout the documentary, the filmmakers employ animated faces to disguise the identities of the six real-life speakers who share their experiences and impressions. Some come from alcoholic families; others feared that AA was a cult or a Christian group (AA drew some of its tenets from the Anglo-Catholic Oxford movement). One member sums up the overarching message here: “It started with just two people, and now it's millions and millions.” Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)