A FAMILY DIVIDED
US, 1995, 100 minutes, Colour.
Faye Dunaway, Stephen Collins.
Directed by Donald Wrye.
A Family Divided is a powerful American telemovie, worth seeing for its focus on contemporary moral attitudes and especially for people taking responsibility for the evil that they have done.
The film centres on a gang-rape in a fraternity house in an American university. The victim dies. The focus is on one of the young men and his relationship with his family, his lawyer father, played by Stephen Collins, and his mother, protected all her life by the well-to-do family and her lawyer husband, played by Faye Dunaway.
The film does not shirk the issues, the young man at first refusing to accept any responsibility, relying on his father to fix things. The mother is involved with a group of battered women and comes to realise that she has been over-protected and needs to assert herself. There is compassion for the mother of the victim.
As the film progresses, the situation becomes worse, one of the young perpetrators kills himself and the central character has to make a decision to go to the police. The final image is of the family united, backing him to tell the truth and to accept the consequences of his actions.
1.A strong telemovie for the home audience? Issues of family, moral standards, rape, accepting responsibility, justice and the law?
2.The setting: the university fraternity house, the affluent family, the town, the refuge for battered women? Authentic atmosphere?
3.The title, the focus on the family, the nature of the divisions, the impact? The united family at the end and the journey that had drawn them together?
4.The focus on the fraternity house: Rosalie and her friend, dressed up, going to the party, the dancing and the noise, their not meeting anyone? Carter's approach, giving Rosalie the drink, taking her upstairs, her willingness and unwillingness, his pressure on Chad, Chad's pressure on Johnny? The gang-rape and its aftermath? The burning of the body, putting it in the lake? The cover-up?
5.The focus on Chad, seeing him go home, his relationship with his mother? Looking for his father? Family life, his mother knowing something was wrong? His going out, the banding together of the group? The visit of his father, the discussion of the case, lying? Johnny and his telling the truth? The impact on Chad, his inability to accept responsibility? His mother knowing and her challenges to him about his conscience? His later talks with her, his refusal to say Rosalie's name? Support from his father? Johnny's leaving and its impact? His retracing the steps, the gradual piecing together of what had happened? His going upstairs, remembering the rape and his participation? The Thanksgiving celebration, the attitudes of his grandfather? Options open, the future? His mother leaving home, the letter from Johnny, ringing Johnny's parents and finding the truth? Wanting to run away? His mother challenging him, his having to face the truth, the support finally of his father? Going to the police and accepting the consequences?
6.Carter, president of the fraternity, peer pressure, lacking moral standards, lies? The pressure on Chad? The other members of the group, participating in the rape? Their using Rosalie and burning her body? Johnny, his leaving the university, his accepting his responsibility, talking to Chad? Killing himself?
7.Karen and her place in the home, running a beautiful home? Being protected from the truth by her husband? Her wariness about Chad, wanting to know the truth? The contrast with her being at the shelter, the discussions with the women, their stories, the lack of drama in her own life? The reaction of the women? Jennifer and her going off with her husband - his assertion, her love for him? Her return? The attitudes of the other women? The effect on Karen? Her finding out the truth, the emotional jolt, her sense of conscience? Her discussions with Chad and trying to develop his moral sense? The Thanksgiving dinner, the discussion of the grandparents? Her going to see her father, her disillusionment with him? Memories of her mother? The discussions with Roger? Challenging him to be father and not just lawyer? Her relationship with Melissa? Moving out? Chad, the death of Johnny, her love for him, wanting him to make his own decisions? With him at the end?
8.Roger, his legal practice, out fishing, love for his son? Protecting his wife? His reaction to the truth, disgust, conscience - but then playing the lawyer, advising them not to say anything, to lie? Karen challenging that he had almost fixed up everything for his son? The clash between the two? His legal advice? The Thanksgiving dinner? Karen's leaving, his helplessness? His change of heart, final talk to his son, going to tell the police that he advised them to lie? The united family?
9.Rosalie as young woman, in the diner, her friend, flattered by the fraternity boys? Going to the party, drinking, her inexperience, under age, hesitation? Being used, the manner of her death? Her disappearance? Her distraught mother? The police and the investigations? Accepting the boys' word? Karen and her grief at Rosalie's death? Her ringing the police for information?
10.The grandparents, the American tradition, opportunity, not admitting the truth until found out? Karen's disgust with her father?
11.Themes of men and women, sexuality, power, victims? Battered women and their self-assertion? Protected women and their self-assertion? The challenge to crass patriarchal attitudes? A challenging film?
