A Better Man

Il y a de cela 22 ans, par une chaude soirée d'été, Attiya Khan, 18 ans, court à toutes jambes dans les rues de la ville. Craignant pour sa vie, elle fuit son ex-copain, Steve, le jeune homme qui la brutalise quotidiennement. Aujourd'hui, après toutes ces années, Attiya a demandé à Steve de la rencontrer. Elle souhaite savoir quels souvenirs il a gardés de leur relation et s'il accepte d'assumer la responsabilité de ses actes violents. Filmée par Attiya avec le consentement de Steve, cette première rencontre qui trahit des émotions à fleur de peau constitue le point de départ du film. Les images brutes marquent un renouveau quant au processus de guérison d'Attiya, ainsi qu'un jalon initial important pour Steve. Pour la toute première fois, il parle des mauvais traitements infligés et se montre prêt à affronter ouvertement le passé. Un homme meilleur ouvre une perspective novatrice en matière de prévention de la violence familiale. Il nous présente une vision inédite et nuancée non seulement du processus de guérison, mais aussi de la révélation que peut provoquer chez tous les intervenants la responsabilisation des hommes à l'égard de leur comportement violent. Il donne également au public le pouvoir d'aborder cette lutte sous un angle différent, que ce soit à l'intérieur d'une relation personnelle ou dans le cadre d'un militantisme plus large.

A Love That Kills is a powerful documentary that tells the tragic story of Monica, a nineteen-year-old woman who was murdered by her former boyfriend. Monica's mother speaks passionately throughout the video, bravely telling viewers about her daughter's life and tragic death. She describes the helplessness she felt watching the emotional and economic abuse. She later discovered that physical battering was also part of the violence that Monica endured. In a parallel conversation, young people list the symptoms of partner abuse from male and female points of view. A Love That Kills helps to identify the warning signs of partner abuse, especially in young people, and the damage it causes emotionally and physically. It will help generate discussion and action and is appropriate for use in Health, Guidance, Family Law or Social Studies classes.

For the first time in 17 years, Namrata Gill wraps herself in her wedding sari. It doesn't bring back happy memories. Her husband was supposed to be Prince Charming - whisking her away from Punjab to a new life in Canada. But instead of living a fairy-tale dream, Gill found herself in a nightmare. She worked long hours in her husband's Edmonton convenience store, while facing increasing physical and emotional abuse from her husband and in-laws. And the situation only worsened after the birth of her daughter. In this intensely personal short film, Gill - whose story was one of many real-life inspirations for Deepa Mehta's feature film Heaven on Earth - describes her six years in an abusive relationship, and how difficult leaving can be when you are part of a close-knit immigrant community. Namrata is more than the story of one woman, told in her own words. Its simple and personal approach opens the door for discussions on domestic violence among new Canadians - and may even encourage others to share their stories.