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.

mandatory viewing for soon-to-be-ex-husbands before any divorce settlements are proposed.

the documentary chronicles six women, most divorced, and all homeless, in los angeles, california. ruthless ex-husbands and their divorce counsel have contributed to some of the worst circumstances. it is a serious and slowly-paced film. there are a few especially memorable moments:

* Ohayon (the filmmaker) confronts one of the deadbeat dads, a music industry jet-setter, via phone regarding his childcare/alimony payments, which he claims to make regularly. then Ohayon takes us to a district attorney type who pulls the same man's file and reveals he is completely AWOL with regard to paying child support.

* there's also an amazing interview with a businesswoman and her three daughters, living out of a motel. the mother admits she is quite uncomfortable about disclosing her suitcase lifestyle to colleagues, but her three daughters sharing the motel room display fierce pride -- proud of their mom for supporting them, proud to tell friends how they live, and proud of their ability to cope with the hardship.

* the bureaucratic abyss facing those who dare apply for welfare and government housing subsidies is nicely conveyed via overheard phone calls and failure to deliver, in the case of one woman who finally secures an apartment on assurance of a 'section 8' subsidy.

the narration is read by jodie foster, original guitar and piano soundtrack by melissa etheridge, both understated and do not upstage the subject in any way.

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.

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.

I am Marjorie Bard, the author of the book "Shadow Women: Homeless Women's Survival Stores" (Sheed&Ward 1990/re-released in 2016 by Routledge) from which this doc was made. I understand the comments & questions by previous reviewers. The material is a time capsule; it is now 2017 and there are probably a million undetectable homeless women now roaming the U.S. The middle-class has diminished, job opportunities are tech driven, the COL is higher but wages do not match affordable housing, and domestic abuse is on the rise, causing more female homelessness and even less court-ordered support follow- up/collection. The focus on mental stability was prime in my book but the doc "swerved" to include depression (etc.), altering its purpose: encouraging self-sufficiency.(I have a 10-year e-doc on the web which outlines more advanced "solutions" to homelessness.) One woman's story would be a completely different type of doc!

The producers did not follow-up on their interviewees for 2 reasons: this was a single short project and all assistance would have been given by my nonprofit organization if I had not been ignored when their doc was completed.