Emily Abt

Take It From Me

andrea — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Take It From Me makes an emotional statement even more than a political one. This documentary film chronicles the time period after the passing of the 1996 Personal Responsibility Act, which placed a five-year limit on public assistance. Emily Abt, the producer and director, is a former social caseworker in New York City. She offers us the daily lives of four women who are struggling against great odds to raise themselves and their children up out of poverty.

Abby is a nineteen-year-old mother of three who has been turned down for public assistance six times due to reasons varying from her age to her parents making too much money to qualify. Her sons have been placed in foster care until she can get an apartment. Yet without public and housing assistance, she cannot pay for it with her paltry earnings. It is heartbreaking to watch as her sons suffer physical and emotional abuse in foster homes, while Abby’s case continues to get delayed by the courts. She is a loving mother, easy to root for, and it is frustrating to watch her being dragged around by a heartless system.

Iyoka and Louie Riveria are a young married couple with a young daughter, who have suffered a house fire which left them temporarily homeless in a shelter. They are cut off from welfare during the film as Iyoka chooses between public assistance and completing her college degree. Her strength, pride, and desire to offer her daughter a better life is admirable. Iyoka worries about not being able to afford health insurance or daycare for her daughter. Louie shares it is difficult to feel like a man while they are experiencing that “no one is on their side.” By the end of the film, they are separated as the strain of their financial situation is too much for their relationship.

Teresa has been out of work for three years and has gone on multiple job interviews in that time. She is facing the threat of having her very small public assistance funds taken away from her at any moment. Her nineteen-year-old son lives with her and suffers from an undiagnosed mental illness. Teresa’s life is consumed with frugality, stretching the amount she gets as far as she can when most of it “only goes to cover the phone and electric bill.” The filmmakers lose touch with Teresa as she refuses to talk to them anymore after her son has an extreme reaction to their presence. In her last interview, Teresa candidly tells the camera that without the welfare money, she is sure that she and her son will die.

Valentina is a recovered alcoholic and drug abuser and mother to at least four children. She has been on welfare for twenty-eight years and offers an inspirational story of recovery and perseverance. Raised in foster care, abandoned by a drug addicted mother, Valentina is proud to have kept her promise to her own children that she would never leave them. She works cleaning pots for $5.50 an hour, yet she also dreams of getting her GED and a better job. She is ready to get off of welfare and is also realistic that even working full-time, it is only with the help of her local church that she is able to make it. One of the most inspirational scenes in the movie is when she encourages other recovering addicted mothers to take it one day at a time, and think of their children first.

The film effectively makes a point about the shadow side of the American dream and how public assistance creates dependency without empowerment. It also shows the tragic impact of our inability to provide for all of our citizens by meeting their needs, nourishing and taking care of their children, and supporting the empowerment of women, especially single mothers.

Written by: Jillian Vriend, October 31st 2010

Toe to Toe

brittany — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Directed by Emily Abt

Strand Releasing

Toe to Toe was part of the official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The story is simple: Jesse and Tosha are both lacrosse players at a Washington, D.C. prep school and although they seem predestined to be rivals, they become the best of friends. Each girl is completely different from each other. Jesse (Louisa Krause) is the wealthy yet lonely and promiscuous daughter of detached parents with Daddy issues. Tosha (Sonequa Martin) is the minority with a background of financial hardship but driven by her ambition of acquiring an Ivy League education on a full scholarship.

At first glance, the film could appear forced and stereotypical; unfortunately, that’s exactly what it turns out to be. There’s enough teenage drama to fill the entire four years of high school. Jesse and Tosha are faced with issues regarding STDs, harassment, racial conflicts, and everything in between. Add to that the dramatic suspense of being part of an athletic team and you have the basis for the movie. There’s a heavy use of socio-economic clichés and an especially artificial climax that almost obscures everything else about the movie.

At other times, though, the protagonists’ acting chops shine through and the movie becomes enjoyable. Both performances are well balanced. Krause manages to portray a promiscuous but self-aware character while Martin has enough poise and restraint to make her character vulnerable and relatable.

The movie’s setting is also quite enjoyable; the scenes outside the prep school and in the actual city are lively and more realistic. This is due to the fact that they were shot with local musical talent. The protagonists seem to feed from the city’s energy and only magnified their charisma and talent.

Yet, in a movie that seems so contrived it doesn’t seem enough to carry it through. Toe to Toe didn’t surpass being bland.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, October 1st 2010

All of Us

annette — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Directed by Emily Abt

Pureland Pictures

Emily Abt's emotionally stirring documentary, All of Us, takes us not just on a journey from the South Bronx to Ethiopia and back, but to a place deep within ourselves. The film follows Dr. Mehret Mandefro, as she embarks on a mission to uncover the truth behind the startling statistics regarding women of color and HIV infections in the United States. According to the film, African-American females compose approximately 12% of the population, yet according to the 2005 CDC report, a staggering 66 % of this minority accounted for new infections with the virus in the United States. The dynamics of power, control and domination play a role in the rising rate of HIV infections. However, other crucial factors are also explored including social roles, the exploitation of women and a prison culture that allows the epidemic to thrive.

The film takes us into the personal lives of two HIV positive women struggling with not just their health but with the effects of being a disadvantaged minority. Chevelle, an addict since she was a teenager, is recently clean, raising a family and looking forward to her upcoming wedding. Positive and motivated, she is determined to get an education and to share her life experience with young African-American women who may be about to follow the same destructive path that she once did. Tara, on the other hand, is not just battling HIV but also cervical cancer. However, her deepest personal struggle may be her inability to say no to her partner given her painful past experiences of sexual abuse and rape. Her relationship is on the rocks as her fear and frailness do not hinder her boyfriend from pressuring her to have sexual relations as she is recovering from surgery.

Perhaps the real power struggle confronts the viewer when we see Dr. Mandefro herself become vulnerable in her personal life. Not just this experience but also her visit to her home country, Ethiopia, a country that has the sixth largest AIDS infection rate in the world, as well as a 'truth circle' with her privileged friends leads her to the conclusion that strong educated women are also facing a silent power struggle in the bedroom. This may be one of the most significant aspects of the film, as it emphasizes that this is not a social class issue as it may initially be perceived to be. The reality is that young, educated, empowered women are also vulnerable and risk infection because of the dynamics that thrive in their personal relationships.

All of Us is not about a young Ethiopian-American doctor, nor is it about HIV-positive women residing in the South Bronx. It is about us as women. It is the story of every woman, what we know versus what is expected of us, and ultimately, the decisions we make given the circumstances that society and culture have thrust upon us. At the core of this film is a moving realization of empowerment. It is the reality that regardless of social status, education or economic advantage we all still live as women in a society where men may have the final say not just in how we live, but rather in how we die.

Written by: Aneesa A. Baboolal, September 23rd 2010