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| Library: Foster Care | |||||
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Love & Diane: A Portrait of Struggles and Strength |
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| Document Author: National CASA - Carla Spaccarotelli,
Editor Publication: The Connection, Spring 04 Posted: 4/04 |
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 “Jennifer Dworkin’s compelling documentary immerses you so intensely in the problems of the Hazzards, a troubled New York family living on public assistance, that by the end of its two and one-half hours you feel almost a member of the household…What lifts this movie above many other high-minded documentaries dealing with poverty and the welfare cycle is the filmmaker’s astounding empathy for both Diane and Love.” - Stephen Holden, New York Times No one in the CASA network will be shocked while watching the award winning documentary Love & Diane. It tells the story of a troubled and contentious relationship between a mother and daughter. What may shock us however is how deeply connected we become to this family as we are intimately invited into their world. Love & Diane follows the lives of the NY family over several years during which the mother, Diane Hazzard, desperately tries to reconnect with her children lost to foster care 6 years earlier due to her drug-induced child neglect. We watch as history eerily repeats itself when her daughter, Love, charged with child neglect and temporarily loses custody of her young son, navigates legal and social services for the child’s return. Love & Diane director Jennifer Dworkin hopes that the documentary will influence those working in the field of child welfare. “Several of the lawyers who work in Family Court have said that the film gives them a much wider sense of the issues that lie behind the kind of cases they see everyday and shows them how little they may really know about their clients.” Dworkin added, “In general I do hope that the film will serve to make people give greater recognition and voice to women like Love and Diane.” Topics covered in the film are familiar territory to child advocates: child neglect, drug addiction, scars of separation, depression, rage and lack of self-awareness, child neglect, family breakups, bad choices and the cycle of a life in the welfare system. But for the viewer, the surprising result of being so close to this family in turmoil is being forced to examine our own filters and stereotypes brought to the film. Love and Diane is a tough, sometimes exhausting film. But, by the end of this film, you will be completely drawn to this family and their strength as they struggle to understand their past and create a better future. For additional information on the documentary Love & Diane, visit the website for Women Make Movies www.wmm.com/loveanddiane/about.html Love & Diane is also available for rent from www.WMM.com
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