In Search of a Painful Past
I found the film "Searching for Angela Shelton" interesting when compared to the other road films that we have viewed. I did not like the film much on its own, for I, too, felt that it was cheesy and over acted. I do appreciate what Angela Shelton (film maker) did and empathize with the women of the film, though my personal feelings are pushed aside to examine the differences between the past films and this one. In "Easy Rider" and "The Girl on a Motorcycle" the main characters took to the road to escape a life of displeasure. "Easy Rider" portrayed men who left their homes and belongings in order to escape society. "The Girl on a Motorcycle" told the story of a woman leaving an unhappy marriage behind. Both films show characters that left painful memories and unpleasant lifes behind in search of something better. Angela Shelton leaves her home, a place of comfort, to address and discuss painful memories of her past and the past of other women who suffered from abuse. She searches out the negative and faces the horrible feelings that come along with it. She chooses to go in search of those who have been hurt and those who have hurt her. In the end she does come to terms with her past and formed a community with the other Angela Sheltons.