Recovery films
by LBSRmcr | created - 23 Aug 2012 | updated - 29 Aug 2012 | PublicACA recovery- ACoA related films that are about dysfunctional family relationships that involve physical, sexual and emotional abuse as well as neglect. They relate to family systems theory and transactional analysis- some show the actual events, some the consequences of growing up in a dysfunctional home. These are films that have made me think, cry, laugh or understand more to advance in my ACA / ACoA 12 step recovery. It's by no means comprehensive.
Warning: Most of these films are heavy and may trigger you- so watch them when you're not feeling volatile.
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1. Melancholia (2011)
R | 135 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård
Votes: 195,984 | Gross: $3.03M
A really haunting and beautiful portrayal of depression and anxiety disorders.
The message I got from it:You're not alone in feeling anxious or depressed- other people understand what it's like to act out in shame and do inexplicable things/lose control of yourself because of mental illness
2. Repeaters (2010)
89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Three twenty-somethings find themselves in an impossible time loop, where each day they awaken to the same terrifying day as the preceding one.
Director: Carl Bessai | Stars: Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Richard de Klerk, Alexia Fast
Votes: 7,055
Three addicts in rehab relive the day they have to make amends- each one deals with their amends differently..
3. Shame (2011)
NC-17 | 101 min | Drama
A sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.
Director: Steve McQueen | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Lucy Walters
Votes: 206,280 | Gross: $4.00M
A sex addicts journey of acting out his addiction- an accurate portrayal of what shame feels like
4. Thirteen (2003)
R | 100 min | Drama
A thirteen-year-old girl's relationship with her mother is put to the test as she discovers drugs, sex, and petty crime in the company of her cool but troubled best friend.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke | Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed, Vanessa Hudgens
Votes: 98,059 | Gross: $4.60M
A thirteen year old girl falls in with the wrong kind of friend and starts getting into trouble
This is one of the most powerful portrayals of a mother-daughter unconditional love that I have ever seen. AN ABSOLuTE MUST!
5. The Savages (2007)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama
A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.
Director: Tamara Jenkins | Stars: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Peter Friedman
Votes: 38,639 | Gross: $6.61M
Film about two siblings that have to take care of their dying father despite it having been a deeply dysfunctional home
6. Little Voice (1998)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A shy reclusive lady is convinced by an invisible entity to sing. Subsequently, she finds herself noticed by a sleazy talent agent and her talent being showcased on-stage. She also meets a kind but nervous man who becomes her best friend.
Director: Mark Herman | Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor
Votes: 17,186 | Gross: $4.60M
The mother in this film is the epidemy of an emotionally abusive woman- in case you're not sure what emotional abuse looks like..
7. Precious (II) (2009)
R | 110 min | Drama
In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that she can re-route her life in a better direction.
Director: Lee Daniels | Stars: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
Votes: 116,266 | Gross: $47.57M
Precious is a teenager who is neglected, emotionally and sexually abused at the same time.
This is a very difficult film to watch.
8. Once Were Warriors (1994)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama
A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.
Director: Lee Tamahori | Stars: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Julian Arahanga
Votes: 36,856 | Gross: $2.20M
Portrait of a dysfunctional maori family- sexual abuse, domestic violence and lots of alcohol involved.
9. Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
R | 109 min | Crime, Drama
Sixteen-year-old Lilja and her only friend, the young boy Volodja, live in Russia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej, who is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.
Director: Lukas Moodysson | Stars: Oksana Akinshina, Artyom Bogucharskiy, Pavel Ponomaryov, Lyubov Agapova
Votes: 49,416 | Gross: $0.18M
This film is about how a vulnerable young girl gets caught up in human traffic.
10. Judas Kiss (I) (2011)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
A quirk in time and space gives a failed filmmaker the chance to reshape his destiny when he visits his peculiar alma mater.
Director: J.T. Tepnapa | Stars: Richard Harmon, Genevieve Buechner, Charlie David, Sean Paul Lockhart
Votes: 2,319
A gay film director meets his younger self at a crucial moment in their history...
11. Mommie Dearest (1981)
R | 129 min | Biography, Drama
The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.
Director: Frank Perry | Stars: Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest, Howard Da Silva
Votes: 18,357 | Gross: $19.03M
A true story- and all the more shocking- the physical violence in this film is second only to the emotional abuse, shaming and pushing into being perfect that the mother subjects her daughter to.
12. Towelhead (2007)
R | 124 min | Drama
A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War.
Director: Alan Ball | Stars: Summer Bishil, Aaron Eckhart, Peter Macdissi, Chris Messina
Votes: 12,053 | Gross: $0.37M
An arab-american teenage girl is sent to the U.S. and here must face living alone with her father. With no-one to speak to about her emerging sexuality and facing racial discrimination, this movie embodies the "don't talk, don't trust, don't feel" ethos of dysfunctionality.
13. Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
R | 98 min | Drama
A mother and daughter find their lives adversely affected when a new man enters the picture. Will their family ever be what they expect?
Director: Anjelica Huston | Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ron Eldard, Glenne Headly, Lyle Lovett
Votes: 4,811
This film is about a woman's descent into codependency after her husband's tragic death, and the brutal consequences this has for her daughter. Very graphic.
14. Take My Eyes (2003)
Not Rated | 109 min | Drama, Romance
One winter night, Pilar runs away from home. With her, she takes only a few belongings and her son, Juan. Antonio soon sets out to look for her. He says Pilar is his sunshine, and what's more, "She gave him her eyes"...
Director: Icíar Bollaín | Stars: Laia Marull, Luis Tosar, Candela Peña, Rosa Maria Sardà
Votes: 7,478 | Gross: $0.03M
Domestic abuse in Spain- this film is interesting because it shows the abuser trying to get help for his behavior, and thus his struggle, too.
15. The Burning Bed (1984 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 95 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An abused battered wife has had enough of her husband beating up on her. Everywhere she turns for help, there's not much anyone will do. After he rapes her one night, she sets the bed on fire with him in it asleep.
Director: Robert Greenwald | Stars: Farrah Fawcett, Paul Le Mat, Richard Masur, Grace Zabriskie
Votes: 3,435
A classic- Farrah Fawcett portrays a mother who gets abused by her husband. What's most interesting about this film is the codependency-typical back and forth that happens until it might be too late
16. Dolores Claiborne (1995)
R | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A big city reporter travels to a small town where her mother has been arrested for the murder of an elderly woman for whom she worked as a housekeeper.
Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, Judy Parfitt
Votes: 48,406 | Gross: $24.36M
Don't let the title put you off- this is an excellent film about a woman who decides to fight back in her domestic abuse situation, and the daughter who doesn't remember..
17. Shine (1996)
PG-13 | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
Director: Scott Hicks | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd
Votes: 56,712 | Gross: $35.81M
The life of a virtuoso piano player with a mental handicap gets pushed to achievement by his perfectionist father...
18. Flatliners (1990)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Five medical students experiment with "near death" experiences, until the dark consequences of past tragedies begin to jeopardize their lives.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin
Votes: 93,464 | Gross: $61.49M
To me this film is about trauma which has been inflicted on us or that we inflict on others
19. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.
Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, RaéVen Kelly, Virginia Capers
Votes: 24,589 | Gross: $39.10M
Tina Turner's relationship with abusive husband Ike, and her way out
20. Spanglish (2004)
PG-13 | 131 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A woman and her daughter emigrate from Mexico for a better life in America, where they start working for a family whose patriarch is a newly celebrated chef with an insecure wife.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman
Votes: 88,554 | Gross: $42.73M
Don't let Adam Sandler acting in this film nor the corny trailer put you off- this is a really touching film about parenting, and a beautiful and lighthearted portrayal of motherly love.
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