Search - Shattered Spirits on DVD

This will sneak up on you!

Charles Whitcomb | Ashland, MA United States | 02/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This film was first shown on TV at the boomtime of recovery when Betty Ford was pushing for recovery for families affected by addiction. The story portrays a middleclass family hiding dad's (Sheen's) alcoholism and sliding down the slope of denial. The reactions of the family to crises and the roles they each fall into are so accurately done that the viewer can get way into his/her own alcoholic upbringing and pain before they are aware of it.
I have shown this at several gatherings and it never fails to shake some people up seriously. Kids are especially vulnerable in their teen years. But entire families can get very agitated during the viewing.
So I would recommend that anyone showing or viewing this film be prepared to deal with some extreme reactioons for several days afterwards. Don't just show this and send your guests home. Instead have a discussion and a followup trip to a meeting of Alateen, Al-Anon or AA.
BUT SHOW IT!"

Very Accurate and cathartic for Alcoholic Families

cwhitcomb@cnc.com | Massachusetts | 02/10/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The story is full of those disturbing yet common events which plague families struggling with Alcoholism. The folks who consulted on this film (Claudia Black for one - Authoer of some of the best recovery books for kids) did a great job of keeping the alcoholic insanity just high enough to really affect anyone who grew up with an alcoholic parent. The scenes are well constructed and the outcome is not sugar coated. ONE WARNING...don't just show this to a group or a friend or a bunch of kids thinking they'll like it. There will need to be some help and comfort offered. Some people will discover their own alcoholic and/or abusive past for the first time During the showing. Find out where there are Al-Anon, Alateen, and AA meetings BEFORE you show the film. But SHOW IT!"

Shattered Spirits

Jordan B Killpack | Elk Ridge, Utah United States | 04/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This film depicts substance abuse, domestic violence, co-dependancy in the family. Very powerful, very accurate."

Excellent in Recovery Group Discussions

Danielle Bowles | Boston, MA | 01/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As an Addiction counselor I have used a VHS version of this film, showing clips to generate a discussion amongst those who are in recovery for their own alcohol addiction or those who are recovering from living with a heavy/problem drinker. It is a little dated now but it still manages to affect each audience everytime in a real and therapeutic way. Certainly not a plesant film to watch from end to end, it is difficult to watch in parts, but well worth being familiar with: like "When a Man Loves a Woman" with Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. Good visual window into how addiction operates in a family and how everyone, not just the drinker, is affected."