The Brutal Truth: A Violence Documentary

As I write, there are several major stories involving teens in the news, including a violent hazing incident in a Chicago area high school, and a debauched rampage in which a groups of teens broke into the home of a vacationing family and caused $100,000 of damage in a binge of vandalism, sex, and drugs. While the nation's attention is focused on such horrifying headline-grabbing incidents, they're hardly unique: violence is an everyday factor in the lives of many American students. Hosted by actress Alexandra Marks, filmmaker Rick Christie's The Brutal Truth offers insights into the pandemic rise of violence among contemporary teenagers, interviewing perpetrators and victims in an attempt to understand the causes of violence, while also talking with various professionals--a juvenile court judge, a school psychologist, an anti-gang task force director, etc.--about possible courses of action to address the problem. The overall production quality here is very good; however, I felt a bit disconnected from some of the interviewees whose faces are not shown (the camera was focused on their hands, or on one eye only, or an ear). Granted, the filmmakers might want to protect the identity of juvenile offenders, but it's still distracting not to see the speakers. A strong optional purchase. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Asala)