The Atikokan Crisis Centre is debuting the documentary, “Not a Loliday,” next Wednesday evening—a film by Patricia Lambkin of Atikokan that deals with complex and pervasive issues regarding the abuse of women.
“It’s very different from anything else I’ve ever done. Much more emotional, a really troubling issue to address,” Lambkin said.
The short documentary tells the story of one formerly abused woman who sought shelter at the Atikokan Crisis Centre.
It also approaches the issue through the different perspectives of a former abuser who sought help, counsellors, educators, and people involved with the centre.
It will be shown from 7-9 p.m. at the Atikokan Legion.
“I had never started with a project that started with a subject where a person was really at such a broken state, and an issue that addresses that kind of place a person can be in,” Lambkin explained.
Through the development and creation of the film, Lambkin stressed she had to do a large amount of research on the issue because of the complexities associated with women abuse.
“I recognized, being an outsider, I had heard or had some of the same similar questions. Somebody always, always asks, ‘Well, why do they stay?’ It’s such a complicated issue,” she noted.
The documentary tackles issues such as where the cycle of abuse begins, focusing on confidence building, young children, teenagers, and dating.
Lambkin hopes the film will bring awareness to the prevalence of abuse.
“I really hope [the film] resonates with parents and how attentive you have to be to make sure your daughters and your sons are being talked with, addressed by, and how one girl may be putting something out and the boy is taking something very differently.”
Donna Kroocmo, executive director of the Atikokan Crisis Centre, said the film is important to her because it depicts the reality of many of the people that seek help there.
“The film is important because it is real,” Kroocmo remarked. “It can do what mere words can never do.
“I can talk about the impact of women abuse on society, but until you see someone struggling with the aftermath, you don’t really understand how complex it is,” she reasoned.
Kroocmo hopes the impact of the film on the audience will “make them pause and have a deeper understanding of the dynamics of women abuse.”
The documentary focuses on the journey of one victim of abuse, and Kroocmo pointed out that although the film depicts the issue of women abuse quite accurately, it is not a reflection of everyone’s situation.
“We must remember that the level of abuse endured by this brave client is only an average,” she said.
“Some women are more traumatized by emotional abuse and some have been so seriously physically abused that they were left for dead by their partners and yet are less traumatized than the woman in the video.”
The underlying message Lambkin wanted to get across in her documentary was making it unacceptable to hit another person.
“On one level, we can have all the colour we want but it’s a black-and-white issue. You do not hit another person. . . .
“If there can be one thing that comes out of that, you do not hit and I think that’s probably the only starting point we can go with,” Lambkin added.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
