Having seen a number of recent Cambridge Educational videos which were both technically excellent and very teen-friendly, I finally saw the architect behind the videos: Matt Clark. Here, in addition to his regular duties of filming, directing, and editing, Clark stars as one of three teens who talk about the devastating emotional effects of divorce on children. After getting over the shock of how young this extremely talented guy is, I concentrated on the program, which offered some pretty good pointers as well as coping techniques for teens whose families break apart. Combining interviews featuring a therapist, counselor, and divorce lawyer, with commentary by the teens and dramatic re-enactments (stylistic numbers shot in black-and-white and presented in the letterboxed format, no less), Surviving Your Parent's Divorce provides a good mix of practical, professional, and supportive advice. In addition to general tips, the program covers such thorny issues as using kids as messengers between parents, being asked to spy on the non-custodial parent, and the hard realities of the financial aspects of divorce. The three teens in the program act very naturally, so much so, in fact, that this industry veteran called to ask whether the producers were so tacky that they actually got kids' parents back together for dramatic skits. Nope, all actors--and I was fooled. While there are other less expensive programs on divorce on the market, this one is excellent and is highly recommended for larger collections. (R. Pitman)
Surviving Your Parents' Divorce
(1993) 35 min. $79.95. Cambridge Educational. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 4
Surviving Your Parents' Divorce
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