What's eating Angela Shelton?
Searching for Angela Shelton has obvious successes and misfires. A woman journeys independently across the country, using the vehicle of "American womanhood" to resolve (or attempt to resolve) her own issues. She encounters women from many backgrounds, all of whom have something-- encouraging, significant, or neither-- to say.
Obviously, she makes a mistake in presuming that the Angela Sheltons of the country represent all of the women of America. She also focuses more on her story (her pain, her past) than on an accurate representation of theirs.
Maybe, however, this inexperienced filmmaker has gotten closer to the heart of womanhood through her failings. Maybe some women really do get that caught up in their own pain, and maybe it is impossible to look past oneself into another person until they, you know, get over themselves, to put it painfully.
Further, perhaps it is impossible to give a truthful representation of womanhood through film, not only because truth cannot be represented by a camera, but because the borders of "womanhood" are so wide and indistinct that nothing can show more than a tiny, immediate picture.