Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America

Film maker Peter Cohn is making his documentary Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America available for free viewing in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I haven’t watched it yet, but I absolutely will–would love to get people’s feedback if they’ve seen it already.

From the site:

“Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America” is a comprehensive and timely examination of the shocking persistence of domestic violence in our society.

The complex issues around domestic abuse are refracted through the story of Kim, a mother of three in Duluth, MN.   The film follows Kim and her children from their early days in a battered women’s shelter.   Kim then sets out to start a new life — and although she is a determined and inspiring survivor, she finds that there are no easy happy endings.

The film also tells the story of the leaders who created the hugely influential “Duluth Model,”   the set of domestic violence policies  that have been widely adopted around the world.  Today the Duluth approach faces a challenge from increasingly vocal outside critics.   At the same time the leaders of the battered women’s movement are struggling to maintain the spirit of sisterhood that has propelled the movement for 30 years.

This multi-layered narrative also explores key issues involving law enforcement, advocacy, and health care.   The film is recommended for courses in sociology, social work, gender studies, law, medicine and the many other disciplines in which intimate partner violence may be involved.