Old 12-29-2015, 05:51 PM
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LexieCat
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
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Terrific DV documentary (possibly too intense for survivors)

This film has been around for a while. Originally titled "One Minute to Nine," it was screened by HBO under the title, "Every F---ing Day of My Life."

It's the story of Wendy Maldonado, who pled guilty, along with her 17-year-old son, to killing her abusive husband as he slept. They quite literally did it to save her younger boys, 13 and 15, from the abuse he had inflicted on all of them for almost 20 years.

The documentary covers her last four days before she goes to prison (she was allowed to remain on bail pending sentence to care for her kids), and much of her back story is told in home videos and in conversations with family and friends who are supporting her as she prepares to go to prison. I've encountered only one DV case as brutal as hers, and the time span in my case involved "only" a couple of years of physical abuse (though the emotional/psychological/financial abuse spanned 25 years).

It's a very powerful film (only 65 minutes long), and might be too upsetting/triggering for some survivors (or others who have difficulty with emotionally intense movies).

Wendy is a VERY brave woman, and it's amazing to see how her spirit survived what was done to her and her kids for so long. She is due to be released in March (after serving ten years in prison--her son got five years), and someone has started a GoFundMe account for her "new home nest egg" to help her get settled upon her release. (I donated, and if you're so inclined it's going to a worthy cause.) I just got an email saying that a story about Wendy is in the new issue of People magazine, so if you'd rather read about her, you can do it there.

If you'd like to watch the movie, Part I is here on YouTube: Every F--ing Day of My Life. The other parts are available there, as well (four parts in all--about 65 minutes total).

If you can stand to watch (it's not especially gruesome, though there are a couple of crime scene photos, but it's emotionally intense), it is well worth seeing.
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