The following is a review I did back in 1999 of the movie Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night. I thought it would be helpful to read what I wrote--and to, hopefully, watch the movie, read the book, or both.
Child-abuse is a very serious problem--and, most times, the people who do it aren't "bad" people but, instead, basically-good people who have sucked up a lot of bad feelings inside of them and, finally, couldn't contain them any longer.
We need to work towards preventing things from going this far by providing nonjudgmental places like Parents Anonymous where people can own their feelings so that they can deal with them in a positive way instead of taking it out on their kids...
Child-abuse is a very serious problem--and, most times, the people who do it aren't "bad" people but, instead, basically-good people who have sucked up a lot of bad feelings inside of them and, finally, couldn't contain them any longer.
We need to work towards preventing things from going this far by providing nonjudgmental places like Parents Anonymous where people can own their feelings so that they can deal with them in a positive way instead of taking it out on their kids...
Mary Jane Harper slipped through the cracks--an innocent child falling victim to the "grown-ups" around her.
Among these:
A mother who was still being mentally-tortured by the memories of her own traumatic childhood of sexual abuse by her father and physical abuse by her mother, who punished the little girl for stealing her husband by locking her in a rat-infested closet.
Grandparents (especially the mother) who were so concerned about keeping up a good appearance that they stood in the way of Mary Jane's mother's continued participation in Parents Anonymous, where she was getting help and support,
The family doctor who refused to believe that child abuse went on in affluent homes.
The psychiatrist who only went through the motions of treating Mary Jane's mother but was more concerned about seeing enough different patients to laugh all the way to the bank. When the alarm on his watch went off, indicating that it was time for their session to be over and the next one to start, it didn't matter that Mary Jane's mother was experiencing an important breakthrough. She was ushered out and the next patient ushered in. Cha-CHING! Cha-CHING!
The neighbors who were concerned about Mary Jane's constant crying but chose not to get involved.
At the beginning of the movie, Mary Jane Harper cried last night--at the end of the movie, Mary Jane Harper died last night.
This wasn't a movie meant to leave the viewer feeling complacently-comfortable--and it did what it was supposed to very well!
Among these:
A mother who was still being mentally-tortured by the memories of her own traumatic childhood of sexual abuse by her father and physical abuse by her mother, who punished the little girl for stealing her husband by locking her in a rat-infested closet.
Grandparents (especially the mother) who were so concerned about keeping up a good appearance that they stood in the way of Mary Jane's mother's continued participation in Parents Anonymous, where she was getting help and support,
The family doctor who refused to believe that child abuse went on in affluent homes.
The psychiatrist who only went through the motions of treating Mary Jane's mother but was more concerned about seeing enough different patients to laugh all the way to the bank. When the alarm on his watch went off, indicating that it was time for their session to be over and the next one to start, it didn't matter that Mary Jane's mother was experiencing an important breakthrough. She was ushered out and the next patient ushered in. Cha-CHING! Cha-CHING!
The neighbors who were concerned about Mary Jane's constant crying but chose not to get involved.
At the beginning of the movie, Mary Jane Harper cried last night--at the end of the movie, Mary Jane Harper died last night.
This wasn't a movie meant to leave the viewer feeling complacently-comfortable--and it did what it was supposed to very well!
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