KID'S DON'T TELL

US, 1985, 100 minutes, Colour.
Michael Ontkean, Jo Beth Williams, Leo Rossi.
Directed by Sam O’ Steen.

Kids Don’t Tell is a powerful American telemovie on the theme of child molesting. The film focuses on the documentary film maker, his career, prospects, the invitation to work on a documentary on child abuse and molestation. It gets at him in his own personal life, in his encounters with victims, with perpetrators, with authorities. It also raises tension in his household,. especially in his over-concern about his teenage daughter, in the tension between himself and his wife who feels that be is preoccupied with his film.

In a striking finale, it emerges that the wife herself has been the victim of child abuse and speaks it out as a warning to others and takes her place at the culmination of the film.

The film is well acted by Michael Ontakeen as the film maker and especially at the end, by Jo Beth Williams as his wife. This is the kind of telemovie that American companies make so well – highlighting social problems and dramatising them for the widest possible home, television watching audience.

1. The impact of the film? As a drama? In exploring social problems - for the victims as well as the perpetrators?

2. The American locations and atmosphere, the American city, homes, institutions? The use of film-making techniques for making documentary? Real life situations, re-enacted situations, interviews and editing?

3. The title, the focus on kids as victims, their responses, telling or not telling? The significance of the title for Claudia’s final revelation?

4. The plausibility of the plot, the making of this kind of documentary, the need for audiences to see this kind of film? The raising of money, technicians, interviewers and their techniques? Research? The seeking out of victims and interviewing them, at the cost to themselves? The range of victims from children in school, in families, on the streets? The interviews, the molesters?

5. The character of Jack: ordinary citizen, talented film maker, his success with documentaries? His love for Claudia - and the sequences with them at home and with their daughter? Eli and his friendship? The prospect of making the documentary? Discussing it with Claudia? His initial enthusiasm - the range of people that he met, the children, teenagers, teachers, social workers, police? Going with the police during their rounds? Interviews with those who assaulted children? His preoccupation, concern about his daughter, becoming too strict? The tension with Claudia, his seeming to ignore? The outings together and the love between them - and then his preoccupation with home, with the babysitter etc? The clash between the two - and the final revelation? His love for Claudia, his supporting her in her story, including it in the doenmentary? The effect of the film-making on him as a citizen, as a father?

6. Claudia, loving wife, loving mother? Supporting her husband? final sequences? Their going out together? Her tension, her concern about his preoccupation, his treatment of their daughter? Seeing hin as overstrict? Her attacks on him? The final revelation of what happened to her? Her heartfelt explanation, her fears, the abuse of her privacy, of her sexuality within the family? The need for telling the story, the therapeutic help? The warning?

7.Eli as friend, co-worker, involveinent in the project, support of Jack?

8. The impact that the interviews made on Jack and on. the home-viewing audience? Watching the children at school. listening to teachers explain how they could discern problems, the children and their fears? the interviews, whether they told the truth or not? Teenagers and their experiences of being assaulted? The young male prostitute on the street, his interviews, going off with the men in the cars? The range of people assaulted? The interviews in prison, trying to understand the mentality of the person who assaults and abuses? Their own explanations, their need for help? The police, their assistance in showing the film makers where the problems were, giving understanding of how to treat problems and problem people?

9. Child abuse and molestation as a problem in 20th century society? Causes, effects? Penalties? Possibilities for treatment?