PY01920234
HOW I GOT OVER
By Nicole Boxer

Could telling your story save your life?

How I Got Over is an intimate, innovative profile of 15 formerly homeless and incarcerated African-American women that dramatically reveals the social causes of their plight and how their lives were transformed.

The film follows the women for 12 weeks as they craft and rehearse an original play based on their harrowing, true-life stories. None have had any acting experience and are guided by the Theater Lab's "Life Stories" program. Their work together leads to an emotional, one-night only, sold-out performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

All 15 are from the nation's capitol, where 21% of women live in poverty. Many seek shelter at N Street Village, a homeless and recovery facility, and the backdrop for the film.

As their stories unfold, we learn that most of them suffered earlier trauma and abuse -- including domestic violence and incest -- that led to their lives of drug abuse and homelessness. Reckoning with their troubled pasts in the play, addiction and homelessness look less like the result of personal choices and more clearly an outcome of the social circumstances they were born into.

How I Got Over begins by tracing how America has declared war on poverty over and over again without much, if any, success. The film ends with the women quite literally stepping out of the darkness and into the spotlight, with an uplifting performance that provides a call to reconsider the root causes of poverty and homelessness, and what might be accomplished if more resources were devoted to recovery support, as well as to the transformative power of theater and the arts.

Reviews
~ "The film moves from scenes of homelessness and tearful counseling sessions, to upbeat rehearsals and preparations for the play, to the women's excitement and pride on opening night at the Kennedy Center." - Washington Post

~ "Honest, revealing and remarkably moving¡­ Boxer's careful, non-judgmental treatment of the women and their lives evokes profound empathy. As the group transforms the dark material into the stuff of art¡ªaided by some expert coaching from professional teachers¡ªthe film shows how recovery, hard work and some help from others can turn what was a tragedy into an uplifting ode to the persistence of the human spirit." - Palm Springs International Film Festival

~ "Inspiring...proves art can save your life." - Desert Sun

Award
~ Best Documentary, Audience Award, Virginia Film Festival
DVD (Region 1, Closed Captioned)
Grades 11-Adult
87 minutes
2015
USD 295.00
 
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