Although abusive relationships can be difficult to escape for a myriad of reasons--ranging from fear of physical harm to concern over societal censure--a judge interviewed for filmmaker Jiri Bakala's Welcome to My World fervently hopes that women will learn that domestic crime is ultimately a matter between the state and the accused, not the victim and the accused. A Canadian production, this documentary features interviews with several female survivors of domestic abuse as well as various professionals, including shelter and social workers, and law enforcement and legal officials. The victims' stories touch on the escalating stages in abusive relationships (verbal and emotional, as well as physical); how and where women can find emotional and financial support during recovery; and the effect domestic abuse has on children. A couple of contrived dramatic devices (a wordless re-enactment of a man's violent outburst at the family dinner table, and a female guitar player wandering through a suburban landscape until she hops into a car to make her escape from an abusive relationship) are more distracting than helpful since the candid accounts of the women interviewed here are powerful enough. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)
Welcome to My World
(2004) 30 min. DVD: $19.95 ($99.95 w/PPR). National Film Network. Color cover. ISBN: 0-8026-0135-9. Volume 20, Issue 4
Welcome to My World
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