Sharon's family *spoilers*
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rosek102 — 16 years ago(May 08, 2009 05:06 PM)
The father obviously had anger/resentment issues, and the brother was a chip right off the old block, abusing his own wife at home. The mother was the one who bothered me the most. She was so naive and unable to stick up for herself. She convinced herself that the vow renewal was some kind of "rebirth" for their marriage, but really, her husband obviously hadn't changed very much. Maybe he didn't hit her anymore, but a lot of that was probably because she tiptoed around him like a meek little puppy, never questioning him or making him discuss anything that might be uncomfortable. In short, it was all about HIM and HIS needs. He was allowed to hang onto anger and resentment, but everyone else had to man up and just accept him as he was. As a mother, that woman needed to stand up for her daughter, and she clearly didn't. She was all about staying in her own little fantasy world.
The whole story was very emotional and powerful, though, because it didn't just end on a happy note. It showed some reality with what happens in a lot of families, where people just can't let go of those things from the past. It made it all the more touching when Sharon said at the end, "It's not fair, I did the right thing, I know I didand there's nothing I can do anymore", and Catch was there to tell her he loved her. At that moment, you knew she'd be okay and that she'd survive, even without her family. -
bfuente1 — 15 years ago(April 10, 2010 04:09 PM)
my parents don't talk to me either. i tried to have my older sister arrested for abusing her then 3 year old son (she broke both his arms-at the same time) eventually no charges were filed. i guess my word & his 2 broken arms was not enough evidence to convict.needless to say my sister can do no wrong according to my parents. the dept of children & families in florida is a complete joke. my parents call what she did to me as a child a bad temper. and want ME to apologize to her for what i put her through (she lost custody during the 3 month investigation) i have no plans to ever forgive her. so i understand the family dynamic in this movie.
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roxist — 14 years ago(March 21, 2012 05:16 PM)
I also disliked her family - I hated the general opinion of "let's not bother him with this, let's not bring up that".
I also get how the mother, his wife would understand somewhat his situation because when they're a couple, they tend to protect eachother no matter what but the son shouldn't agree with them.
@bfuente1
I'm sorry you have such problems with your family. It sounds like your sister has / had some problems. I think parents generally tend to put childhood things under the idea that "they were kids, they didn't know anything". I think they see the baby's broken arms as some kind of an accident rather than accepting that maybe it was not and that's why they might want you to apologize to her for her losing custody.
We all go through some key points in our lives and I think that if you saw the baby being abused and suffering, then, you did the right thing. -
bufster3 — 13 years ago(December 27, 2012 08:32 PM)
@bfuente I am so sorry for what happened to you and your nephew. I used to work as a social worker in foster care and sadly it is common for abusive parents not to be charged when they abuse their children, even when the court believes that the parent did abuse the child.
Children are considered the property of their biological parents in our legal system.
So it's no surprise that your sister got away with it.
You did the right thing even though things did not work out well for your poor little nephew. You do not owe anyone an apology. You did a very difficult thing, the heroic thing. The brave thing.
I hope that things are better for you now. -
jztzt — 13 years ago(March 31, 2013 11:41 AM)
Sharon is the type of person who advocates for victims to stand up and speak for themselves instead of favoring their oppressors. She's not so easy to forgive and forget and confronts her family about the painful past. However, her family wants to bury the past and doesn't want to talk or think about it. Some truths and skeletons in the closet take a long time to be unearthed and be resolved. Her family probably needs more time to digest and reflect on what Sharon has said and Sharon should give them time to cool off. She should also slowly come to terms with her past and reconcile with her family and renew a fresh relationship. While I believe her mother understands, cares about, and loves her the most, it may take awhile before her brother and father turn themselves around and embrace her again. However, I trust that the instinctive and powerful nature of human affection will reunite them eventually.
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next-lover — 11 years ago(January 06, 2015 06:05 PM)
Yes OP, I agree with everything you've said. But this is the way it is in real life, sadly. Actually, this movie portrayed it in such a heartbreaking way because this IS reality. Many women WANT to leave the abusive husband, but if she does not have anything to support herself, what about her finances? How will she take care of her children? Put food on the table?
I used to work as an ED nurse and we get all types of domestic abuse cases. A lot of SANE nurses would talk to me about those abuse cases of family and the one common theme they re-iterated was the reason many stayed in those relationships? Where will they live? So it's either stay in the relationship or live off the streets. And many "alms houses" have wait lists here in CA
So at best, they can only stay in those facilities for about 3mo.
Oh the ending was painful to watch. It's so so so complicated and I can't blame Sharon and the mother for "overlooking" or wanting to move past the abuse of the father. So sad. -
fiatlux-1 — 10 years ago(January 21, 2016 12:13 PM)
Its so frustrating to me when I read about wives (or even some husbands) who feel they can't leave their abusive, vicious spouses because they'll 'have no money'.
Well, they made the CHOICE of not getting their own careers before their marriage, or even of getting married to begin with!
Abusers always always give some kind of sign, even if its only verbal or emotional abuse or control issues.
The idea is to have your own career, be independent, and NOT GIVE a spouse (any spouse) the control over your financial life to begin with.
That way, you can leave if you need to & take care of yourself.
I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.