It Was a Wonderful Life

I saw this film on cable about ten years ago and have been haunted by it ever since. I had tried to get a copy of this movie for years but very few existed and the ones that were for sale on Ebay usually went upwards of 100 dollars thanks to fervent Jodie Foster fans trying to complete their collections. A few months ago, the DVD copy was released and is now widely available at a reasonable price. I have been passing my copy around for all my friends to see and I highly recommend this movie to anyone with a social conscience; it is absolutely haunting. Although it is a sad topic, this movie does not bring you down. You find yourself drawn into the lives of these women and fascinated by their innovative ways of survival. Also, you must stick around for the closing credits to get the final story on one of the subjects. This film goes beyond the realm of "movies as entertainment".

"It Was A Wonderful Life" is a movie that could impact your perceptions and the way you live your life.

I didn't care for this movie. I felt that the film took the point of view of these poor victimized women and their good for nothing ex-husbands who aren't paying child supoort. Or course I think that ex-husbands should pay child support but it is hard to make someone pay who isn't planning to and that is the reality for some of these women. Complaining that the system failed you by not making him pay isn't going to do you any good. One of the better moments in the movie was the interview with the policewoman who was handing out parking tickets. She had two kids, was going through a divorce, and was working two jobs to keep herself from becoming homeless herself. If you find yourself in bad circumstances this is the attitude I think you need to have, work two jobs if that is what it takes to keep you and your children off of the streets. I also didn't think the film fleshed out the characters enough. I have a feeling some of them suffered from mental illness but the film didn't tell us enough about them to really know. The best film for my money about homelessness is still StreetWise, where we see the full-dimensional personalities of the people involved.

This film has haunted me since I saw it. The film explores the everyday realities of the working poor (and even the middle and upper middle class) who have slipped through the cracks and ended up the hidden homeless. It shows in brutal detail the reality of life in a car, where even showers (let alone work) are a difficult luxury to obtain. It was made in 1992 (during a recession), so I only wish there was an update since the real estate boom in California--and how it affected the women in this population.

The film also painstakingly depicts the flimsiness of bureaucratic programs/solutions to aid these women and those like them, as well as the ways that government policies actively antagonize these situations . Especially painful is the part on Section 8 housing subsidies--when one of the women calls to inquire and finds that not only are there no applications being accepted, but there is also a waiting list of 3+ years for those who have already applied. And the problem of finding a landlord who will accept the vouchers.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the movie is that it did not seem that the filmmakers either 1) helped the women along, even though they were so obviously in need or 2) paid them for their participation. These are women who seem to be only a few hundred dollars or a security deposit away. And yet they are taking the time to participate in the film. I would assume that Jodie Foster and Melissa Etheridge were paid for their participation. It is not stated, but the summations of the women's situations at the end of the film seems to strongly suggest that they were left on their own again. Also, definitely get to the end of the credits for more information. Though it was made in 1992, I just wish there was some way I could reach out and help these women.

I highly recommend this film. It just stays with you.

I have been scrambling all my life, and I know anything could happen in a month or so and it is beyond me how I would get out of that hole should I become seriously homeless. After the last time, the only work I could get was part time $8.50.

In the past I have lived in a tent while doing a work exchange for a camp site and food.

I have couch surfed with gracious friends off and on for years. I have even spent short stints at homeless shelters, where even the women's section was scary because some women would violate your space.

And since I have been sick I worry every month or so about becoming homeless again.

I wonder if what we need to be taught at an early age, in school, by our parents or by ourselves is how to manage money, how to negotiate raises at work and how to secure our independent financial well being with even our loved ones, rather than blindly trusting one's mate. It really is a dog eat dog world out there if you lack anyone watching your back.

Life can be tough. Fathers really can be selfish bastards. While that may be sexist, and I am aware there are evil mothers, the facts really do indicate the deliberate selfishness of men. Which is why I think women really need to be more careful who they have babies for....The notion that a man is more committed when he has children is clearly false. Why does the man do this? There ought to be a movie profiling the personality of the deadbeat dad: rich, with a new young wife, driving a fancy car, inviting his unsupported children to a brief trip to Hawaii? What a world.

Married people are a minority constantly under pressure by egotistic elements of society. Who is foolish enough to trust these days? Religious "republicans" can seem just as shady where the wife simply puts up with offensive behavior to save face.

Media paints these brainwashing pictures of marriage, children and happily ever after. Who is living this lie? Who do we really know? The reality is a relationship is not set in stone. Mothers and wives need to take this fact seriously and take responsibility for the long haul, which seems for many most likely to end up being by herself.

An excellent documentary; this struck a chord with me.

I live in the most expensive city in my state, an affluent left-leaning college town. There's much more education than jobs in the area (varied things, like an abundance of culture or the quality of the local schools, keep some in the area), and the homeless population is quite noticeable for a town of 50,000. I - and many people I know - are college-educated folks with reasonable-to-occasionally impressive resumes, who are working retail or waiting tables. We're a paycheck or an illness or an accident away from being where the folks in this documentary are.

IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE is remarkably well-made, with subtle cinematography that serves its' subjects well - no great art statements made visually, but this documentary doesn't need it. Instead, it unobtrusively gives the women who appear onscreen space to tell their stories - how they all ended up homeless. These women are educated, have experienced professional success and some semblance of security at some point, and are mostly descended from middle-class (or better) backgrounds. Their determination and self-awareness is striking, though - given the depressing familiarity of an ever-more-diverse homeless population - I wasn't as shocked as I felt that I should be.

Certain issues - depression, the common refuge of chemical dependance, the ever-present threats of violence - could've been dealt with in greater depth. Several themes are well-explored here however - if a viewer wasn't aware already that education, self-awareness, a ferocious work ethic and/or psychological toughness don't mean jack in and of themselves, it will be abundantly clear by the films' end. Morally, any individual (single, married, or otherwise) should - by this late date - know that depending on anyone else for security and survival is precarious even with a fat bank account, and potentially suicidal without. One woman (a law student) sums it all up effectively: "Never trust anyone. Especially a lawyer." This film visualizes all of the above in horrifying detail.

Equally disturbing is the revelation (from several of these women) that they never thought about homelessness until they became homeless. This info is rather casually offered; they don't exclude themselves from any of social apathy that is occasionally on display in IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE. They had it good until a bad investment, a lost lawsuit or a husband walked out (stiffing them for child support - the grueling fallout of this is shown in great, horrifying detail); one never views this as a problem deserving of thought and action until one has to move into their car, and then the true magnitude of how few safety nets exist (or function properly) becomes abundantly clear.

The women in this documentary impressed me - being homeless (or simply being poor) is an art, and it's a lot of work - this too becomes quite clear here. If there's an ulterior agenda, it should be noted that the women here defy most stereotypes of homelessness, personalizing the issue in terms that any cul-de-sac dweller would easily comprehend. These aren't the kind of cartoon down-and-outers easily written off by politicos, 'pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps' types, suburbanites, or any of us with an education and a resume (and the expectation of upward mobility and security) - the faces seen here look like people you know and love.

Which - in some ways - is the lone serious oversight here - the issue could've been brought home (in wrenching fashion) has the director included some individuals who were at another level of 'lost' - addicted, or mentally ill, and completely abandoned by the system (or who had dealt with bureaucracies and agencies, only to lose hope in absolute frustration). While such a film would be tough to watch, it would also be essential in understanding a problem that shouldn't exist.

As it is, IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE is a very powerful, moving document - gripping and informative - and I recommend it strongly.