Building Self-Esteem: You've Got the Power

More than just a pep talk, this fine program not only offers nine specific steps towards building better self-esteem, but also does a good job of communicating the critical importance of self-confidence. Josh was a geeky loner who hid his bad self-esteem behind an apathetic, sullen attitude, while Sadie was a popular pretty girl whose low self-esteem arose from fear of rejection and a belief that she was dumb. Both Josh and Sadie—hailing from opposite ends of the high school social spectrum—share their stories here in an interview setting, explaining how they broke out of the poor self-esteem cycle to become more confident and happy with themselves. The nine steps (“take action, make a change,” “accept yourself for who you are,” etc.) might sound somewhat vague and self-help-boilerplate-ish, but since Josh and Sadie introduce them within the context of their own personal experiences—presented in black-and-white flashbacks—many of the suggestions come across as both practical and realistic (such as “improve your personal hygiene” and “don't compare yourself to other people all the time”). Teaching viewers that building healthy self-esteem is a learnable skill requiring time, practice, and possibly some challenging emotional work, this is highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (E. Gieschen)