Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America

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Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America
Power and Control - Domestic Violence in America.jpg
Directed byPeter Cohn
Produced byPeter Cohn
CinematographyDominic Howes
Edited byDara Kell
Thavisouk Phrasavath
Music byRick Baitz
Release date
  • April 18, 2010 (2010-04-18)(St. Paul International Film Festival)
[1]
Running time
51 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America is a documentary film released in 2010 that depicts the issue of domestic violence in the U.S. as told through the personal story of Kim Mosher, a mother of three from Wabasha, Minnesota, and victim of physical and emotional abuse. Finally leaving her husband in 2008 and facing an uncertain future, she succeeds in re-building much of her life, seeking refuge at a women's shelter and forming deep friendships with other victims. [3]

Contents

Detailing the problems dealt with by the multi-disciplinary anti-abuse effort known as the "Duluth model", it has received a variety of supportive critical reviews from publications such as the City Pages and The Minnesota Post. [4]

Background and film contents

The film looks at the story of Kim Mosher and her suffering at the hands of both physical and emotional abuse. The Wabasha, Minnesota, mother wanted to keep her ten-year marriage and family together, yet, once her husband began to physically abuse their children as well, she left her home with her children in 2008 for the Safe Haven battered women's shelter in Duluth where she began to build a new life for them as well as her. The film shows her struggles as she searches for a job, seeks child care services, looks out for affordable housing, and otherwise attempts to raise her children safely. [3]

The documentary specifically explores the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, often called the 'Duluth model', which was the first multi-disciplinary program designed to coordinate the actions of a variety of agencies in Duluth, Minnesota, dealing with domestic violence for a more effective outcome. This organizational effort has become a test case looked at for programs in many other U.S. jurisdictions. [5] A nationwide study published in 2002, sponsored by the federal government, found that batterers who complete programs based on the model are less likely to repeat acts of domestic violence than those who do not complete any batterers intervention program. [6]

Reception

The movie made its world premiere at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival in April 2010. Upon wide release, it has received critical praise from several publications. For example, City Pages writer Ira Booker found the film a "stark reminder that this kind of violence is all around us." The Minnesota Post ran an article referring to it as "a purely harrowing story" and "highly recommended.” As well, the Buffalo, New York web-project Educational Media Reviews Online endorsed the film. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycle of abuse</span> Social cycle theory explaining patterns of behavior in an abusive relationship

The cycle of abuse is a social cycle theory developed in 1979 by Lenore E. Walker to explain patterns of behavior in an abusive relationship. The phrase is also used more generally to describe any set of conditions which perpetuate abusive and dysfunctional relationships, such as abusive child rearing practices which tend to get passed down. Walker used the term more narrowly, to describe the cycling patterns of calm, violence, and reconciliation within an abusive relationship. Critics suggest the theory was based on inadequate research criteria, and cannot therefore be generalized upon.

Battered woman syndrome (BWS) is a pattern of signs and symptoms displayed by a woman who has suffered persistent intimate partner violence: whether psychological, physical, or sexual, from her male partner. It is classified in the ICD-9 as battered person syndrome, but is not in the DSM-5. It may be diagnosed as a subcategory of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's shelter</span> Place of temporary protection and support for women

A women's shelter, also known as a women's refuge and battered women's shelter, is a place of temporary protection and support for women escaping domestic violence and intimate partner violence of all forms. The term is also frequently used to describe a location for the same purpose that is open to people of all genders at risk.

The term cycle of violence refers to repeated and dangerous acts of violence as a cyclical pattern, associated with high emotions and doctrines of retribution or revenge. The pattern, or cycle, repeats and can happen many times during a relationship. Each phase may last a different length of time, and over time the level of violence may increase. The phrase has been increasingly widespread since first popularized in the 1970s.

The Duluth Model which includes the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project or DAIP or Pence's model) is a model that brings agencies together to reduce domestic violence against women. It is named after Duluth, Minnesota, the city where it was developed. The model was largely founded by feminist Ellen Pence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is domestic violence by a current or former spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. IPV can take a number of forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic and sexual abuse. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines IPV as "any behavior within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological or sexual harm to those in the relationship, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviors." IPV is sometimes referred to simply as battery, or as spouse or partner abuse.

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Ellen Louise Pence was an American scholar and a social activist. She co-founded the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, an inter-agency collaboration model used in all 50 states in the U.S. and over 17 countries. A leader in both the battered women's movement and the emerging field of institutional ethnography, she was the recipient of numerous awards including the Society for the Study of Social Problems Dorothy E. Smith Scholar Activist Award (2008) for significant contributions in a career of activist research.

<i>Sin by Silence</i> 2009 American film

Sin by Silence is a domestic violence documentary film by Olivia Klaus that offers a unique gateway into the lives of women who are the tragedies living worst-case scenarios and survivors - women who have killed their abusive husbands. Based on the first inmate-initiated and led support group in the entire United States prison system, the film reveals the history and stories of the members of the group Convicted Women Against Abuse created by inmate Brenda Clubine in 1989. By following five women's abusive experiences that led to their incarceration, the film take viewers on their journeys from victim to survivors, reveals the history of the Battered Women Syndrome in the state of California, and shatters misconceptions. This documentary is a production of Quiet Little Place Productions.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence in the United States</span>

Domestic violence in United States is a form of violence that occurs within a domestic relationship. Although domestic violence often occurs between partners in the context of an intimate relationship, it may also describe other household violence, such as violence against a child, by a child against a parent or violence between siblings in the same household. It is recognized as an important social problem by governmental and non-governmental agencies, and various Violence Against Women Acts have been passed by the US Congress in an attempt to stem this tide.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to domestic violence:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Management of domestic violence</span>

The management of domestic violence deals with the treatment of victims of domestic violence and preventing repetitions of such violence. The response to domestic violence in Western countries is typically a combined effort between law enforcement, social services, and health care. The role of each has evolved as domestic violence has been brought more into public view.

Domestic violence within lesbian relationships is the pattern of violent and coercive behavior in a female same-sex relationship wherein a lesbian or other non-heterosexual woman seeks to control the thoughts, beliefs, or conduct of her female intimate partner. In the case of multiple forms of domestic partner abuse, it is also referred to as lesbian battering.

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References

  1. "Power and Control" opens at Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America. Retrieved January 2012.
  2. "Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America". amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America Synopsis. Hillcrest Films LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Power and Control". newdaydigital.com . Retrieved October 31, 2013.{{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. Domestic Abuse Intervention Project: History
  6. Twohey, Megan (2009-01-02). "How Can Domestic Violence Be Stopped?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-01-28.