In Search
“At worst, many women wonder whether they even exist. They feel they don’t exist and wonder if there has ever been a place for them. I am speaking of woman’s place, from woman’s place, if she takes (a) place (Helene Cixous, 43).�
What an awful thought to go through ones head “whether I even exist�, finding yourself in this world is difficult as it is, but when one has to go through the traumatic life experience of being raped, abused, or victimized, the mind really starts to question just why am I here, what did I do to deserve this, and how much can I really handle. This brings me back to the one section of the movie, where Angela is speaking to the “anonymous Angela� and she keeps repeating that she is “lower than a dog�. It disturbs me how any one person can have that much control over one’s life in order to make them feel so low, and so horrible about themselves.
The movie Searching for Angela Shelton is vastly different from the common cultural representation of women who are raped, murdered, beaten, and or victimized as seen on television. The women portrayed in this particular film, were not shown so much as victims, but as survivors. Whereas on the television screen women are shown merely as victims, their lives after the abuse, rape, or victimization is never shown. It is good to see that these victims of such horrible experiences are able to move on and succeed in their lives.
Despite some flaws within the film, overall I felt this documentary had the overall right intentions behind it. Not only was Angela traveling this road for her own personal growth and closure to her awful childhood, but she was allowing others the chance to open up about their experiences and share them with the world. I liked that this story was not just about her; although her story overpowered most of the film, but it still allowed for other voices of survivors and strong women in general to be heard.