Films and DVDs relating to Domestic Abuse

If you know of any other films dealing with Abuse issues which are helpful, or have seen one of the films featured on this page and would like to comment on it, please email me!

Woman, Thou Art Loosed (REGION 1) (NTSC)

To purchase in the US:

Based on Bishop T.J. Jakes' novel and stage play, this is a brutal, honest, and wonderfully acted film on the abuse of young women (statistics: 1 in 3 women have been molested between the ages of 5 and 15). It's a topic not often talked about, fermenting in silence, guilt, and anger, and so often will be continued from one generation to the next. This is what happens in this story, as Cassey, abused by her father, ends up with a boyfriend that rapes her daughter Michelle.
This award winning film shows how with the right script and fine acting, one can make a riveting film on a shoestring budget. The story is told in flashback, as Michelle tells Bishop Jakes about her life in her jail cell, as she makes a house with no door, out of matchsticks..

To purchase in the UK:

Sleeping With The Enemy [1990]

To purchase in the US:

Storyline: Julia Roberts plays Laura, a young, married woman, who on the surface, leads a happy life. But behind closed doors, her life is a nightmare. Her husband controls her every move, beats her. One night, they go sailing, and Laura falls into the water, and her husband thinks she has drowned, because she could never swim. Only, she had learned to swim, and she had not drowned. She escaped, and swam back to shore, where she gathered her things and fled. She now lives a new life, under a new identity, hoping and praying that her husband won't discover that she's alive and find her. Only, he does, and he is after her...

To purchase in the UK:

The Stepford Wives [2004]

Tu purchase in the US:

An all-star cast remakes the 1975 socio-political horror flick, The Stepford Wives. After being fired as president of a television network, Joanna (Nicole Kidman) has a nervous breakdown, prompting her husband Walter (Matthew Broderick) to take her to a simple Connecticut town called Stepford to recuperate. But Stepford is a little strange: The husbands congregate at a closed-doors men's club, while the wives--all in bright summer frocks and air-brushed smiles--exercise to keep their hourglass figures and cook endless pastries. Joanna, along with new arrivals Bobbie (Bette Midler) and Roger (the very funny Roger Bart), soon discover that the mastermind of Stepford (Christopher Walken) has used cybernetics to "perfect" womankind.

To purchase in the UK:

The Color Purple (REGION 1) (NTSC)

To purchase in the US:

Steven Spielberg, proving he's one of the few modern filmmakers who has the visual fluency to be capable of making a great silent film, took a melodramatic, DW Griffith-inspired approach to filming Alice Walker's novel. His tactics made the film controversial, but also a popular hit. You can argue with the appropriateness of Spielberg's decision, but his astonishing facility with images is undeniable--from the exhilarating and eye-popping opening shots of children playing in paradisiacal purple fields to the way he conveys the brutality of a rape by showing hanging leather belts banging against the head of the shaking bed.

To purchase in the UK:

Shattered Lives

The Telly Award-winning-documentary by Lori Joyce and Idanha Films.It takes a new look at domestic violence and innovative programs to prevent as well as intervene in this deadly cycle.

Can be ordered from Idanha Productions.

If you know of any other films dealing with Abuse issues which are helpful, or have seen one of the films featured on this page and would like to comment on it, please email me!

Return from Films and DVDs to Domestic Violence Resources

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DVDs & Films
Freedom Programme

Recommended Reading:

Living with the Dominator by Pat Craven is the book to accompany the Freedom Programme in the UK. This book should be compulsory in schools - the information is so clear and so obvious and such an eye-opener! After studying domestic violence issues for years, this is the one book which finally enabled me to click it all into place and answer all my whys. Just read it:

To order in the US: Living With the Dominator (Kindle version only - and well worth buying a Kindle just to get this book!)

To order in the UK: Living with the Dominator: A Book About the Freedom Programme: 1

Life after getting out of an abusive relationship often continues to be a struggle, and It's My Life Now offers guidance to overcoming common pitfalls, blending worksheets with insights on self exploration and ongoing growth. From handling feels of loss and guilt to overcoming feelings associated with having loved an abuser, this book continues to offer invaluable lessons and be a real source of help and strength:

To order in the US: It's My Life Now: Starting Over After an Abusive Relationship or Domestic Violence, 2nd Edition

To order in the UK: It's My Life Now

UK Online Bookstore

US Online Bookstore

Artikleid eesti keeles

UK National Domestic Violence Freephone number 0808 2000 247

According to therapist Engel "even the most loving person" is capable of emotional abuse-that is, "any non-physical behavior designed to control, intimidate, subjugate, demean, punish, or isolate." In a reasoned, sensible tone, she encourages readers to become responsible for their behavior and for changing it. Identified are ten "patterns of abuse" (verbal assault, character assassination, etc.), different kinds of abusive relationships, action steps for cessation, and suggestions for recovery. Engel clearly shows how this type of abuse, either intentional or unconscious leads to low self-esteem and misery for one or both partners. Engel also looks at the difficult relationships where one partner suffers from Personality Disorder. A difficult and draining yet important read for those who suspect that their relationship has entered abusive territory, this book is highly recommended.

To order in the US: The Emotionally Abusive Relationship: How to Stop Being Abused and How to Stop Abusing (Paperback or Kindle version avaialble - and well worth buying the kindle to be able to start reading immediately!)

To order in the UK: The Emotionally Abusive Relationship: How to Stop Being Abused and How to Stop Abusing

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