Searching for Angela Shelton
In Searching for Angela Shelton, Angela Shelton (the filmmaker) irresponsibly frames victims of sexual abuse within a self-righteous journey toward an aggressive, misguided attempt at "reconciliation" with her (presumably) abusive father. In what could have been a poignant examination of sexual trauma (which the film masquerades as), Angela Shelton essentially implicates otherwise innocent women in a stagy, vapid tantrum of anti-male grudge matches. In some cases, her technique is outright offensive. Near the end of the film, for example, she includes subtitles to "clarify" a man's speech despite the fact that he's perfectly understandable--it is as if every male figure must be reduced to a controlling molester or an unintelligible idiot. Indeed, one of the only other males to be presented is a deaf man, who, through no fault of his own, is nevertheless labeled as someone of inferior communicative abilities. For a film that prides itself in displaying a valid representation of women in America (albeit through the arrogant , exclusive promotion of only "Angela Sheltons"), the selective portrayal of males is unforgivable, in my opinion. Poor selectivity plagues the film in another area as well: Personally, I did not believe for a moment that so many people would just happen to quote "Everything happens for a reason" verbatim, nor that Angela Shelton would have a box of fury-inducing crayons to readily tear apart. Everything seems so contrived, forced, and poorly planned, it's ridiculous. The multiple appeals to religion that the film offers serve absolutely no performative function whatsoever. Instead of providing a solution (or admitting that one doesn't exist), the film resorts to a cop-out on the most massive scale imaginable. Sorry for the rant, but I thought this film was an absolute mess. I would have kept the focus on the women's stories without thrusting myself into the narrative. There is nothing wrong with making a documentary about self-discovery, but to deliberately deceive and manipulate one's way to enlightenment is irresponsible. This is the first film in the class that I think presents "the road" as an utterly regressive path.