In a country in which one out of four women experiences domestic abuse, mothers may have it the worst of all. Director Rachel Meyrick profiles several subjects, concentrating primarily on 86-year-old Charlotta Harrison, who lives in Oklahoma. As an opening title notes, "In America today, it is more likely for a judge to award custody of children to an abusive father than a protective mother." Charlotta put up with her husband's abuse for 40 years in order to protect their son, Brian. After Fred struck her and threatened worse in a grocery store, she decided she had had enough. By then, Brian was an adult, but the other women in this film lost custody when they sought divorces from their abusive husbands. Aleah, who lives in New York, says, "Every day I wake up with a crushed heart when I think about my son." According to Barry Goldstein, a retired attorney, "It's a standard abuser tactic to go after custody as a way to regain control over their victims." Tammy, who lives in Virginia, sees her son only 30 days a year, even though she was his primary caregiver before she and her law enforcement officer husband divorced. Joan Meier, a professor of clinical law, believes that gender bias is to blame; her research has found that family court judges are more likely to believe fathers seeking custody over mothers alleging abuse (in addition, fathers often have better resources for legal representation). Charlotta now volunteers for a local shelter, while Tammy belongs to a group that advocates on behalf of abused mothers. An eye-opening, infuriating documentary on a systemic injustice that is long overdue for reform, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)
What Doesn't Kill Me: Domestic Violence and the Battle for Custody
(2017) 81 min. DVD: $89: public libraries; $395: colleges & universities. Women Make Movies. PPR. Volume 33, Issue 5
What Doesn't Kill Me: Domestic Violence and the Battle for Custody
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