One of five [electronic resource] : families coping with mental disorders / by Justin Choma Zimmerman.

New York, NY : Filmakers Library, 2003.

English

This edition in English.

1 online resource (27 min.).

Here are inspiring portraits of five families, each caring for an emotionally handicapped, or alcohol-addicted member. The love the family members feel for their disabled relatives is evident, as the film shows the joy, as well as the burdens their care imposes. Gammi is an elderly African American woman with Alzheimer s disease. Her family members are tolerant of her repetitive and often senseless babbling. They stroke and comfort her, and laugh fondly at her foibles.Michael is an eight-year-old with Downs syndrome. His mother, who already had two children, knew ahead of time that she would have a disabled child and chose not to abort. The family does not regret the decision, and, in fact, feels Michael is an important part of their lives.Shane is an impoverished teenager from Appalachia. His father left the family when he was young and his mother is a recovering alcoholic. Jenny, a college student, also has an alcoholic parent. It has not been easy for her to deal with confronting her mother about her alcoholism. Dale is a middle-aged paranoid schizophrenic. The family accepts the fact that he sometimes has bizarre visions. In a society in which multitudes of people share similar mental disorders and are abandoned by their families or their communities, these portraits are a reminder that patience and fortitude bring their own satisfactions.

Originally released as DVD.
Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011).

For High School; College; Adult audiences.

Best Documentary, OUStuff, 2003
Best Non-Fiction Short, Chicago/IFP Film Festival, 2003
Cleveland International Film Festival
Iowa City International Documentary Festival
Long Beach International Film Festival
Next Frame Festival, 2003

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