Angela Shelton
I answered group A's question just because I felt more comfortable tackling the content of this question and because I have no background in Women's Studies.
I think that this film definitely breaks a few silences of violence against women. However, I think that the biggest silence that was broken was the film maker Angela's silence. I think that the movie centered around her story of abuse rather than the other Angela's stories. I also think that maybe she tried to play therapist a little too much with some of the women. She could have really had a negative and destructive effect on the some of those women and their families. I appreciated the fact that this film gets the word out that there are many women, at least ten, in the US that have been abused. Maybe some of the women who see this will be inspired to make a positive change in their lives. However, I wish that Angela had interviewed some credible sources, and provided the women with professional therapeutic help. I don't think that any of her little subtitled information was very credible. She had no sources to validate her information. She also never mentioned the percentage of all women raped in America, only the Angela's she interviewed. However, on a personal level, I did not have any idea that incest and child molestation was so prevalent in America. I think that because it is such a sensitive and personal subject, it is often overlooked and not talked about. I think that Angela did a good job of bringing this touchy subject into the light a bit more. But I would have appreciated more solid facts and resources.
The road in this film functioned as the connection between the Angelas all over the country. The director Angela used the road as a way to travel to her destinations and fulfill her journey. She could have used a plane to get from place to place, but she chose the road. I think she did this because of both budget and because on the road, one can see many different things and stop along the way. Trains, buses, and airplanes have specific destinations. The road and her RV provided Angela with the freedom to make her own destinations.
If I were Angela, I would have included some specialists on the subjects I was trying to focus on. I would broaden the scope of information that I was giving and provided some information on where to get help. I would especially focus on how I got through my trauma rather than just the trauma itself.