Sharon: "My mother always said it was a family thing. That I'd broken some kind of sacred oath. I don't know. When we walked in that day and saw him beating her.... What was l supposed to do?
Sharon: (Pause) "Larry was the one who'd always jump in and protect her. And he always paid for it. I never did anything. I just ran and hide."
Catch: "You did the right thing. You called for help."
Sharon: "A lot of good it did me."
Catch: "But you didn't do it for you."
Sharon: "All those years ... my dad never hurt me. Not once."
Catch: "Yes, he did." (Sharon begins to cry and the scene ends).
Note: This excerpt is from the movie Angel Eyes starring Jennifer Lopez and Jim Caviezel. This scene is addressing the effects of domestic violence. Sharon, as a child, witnessed her father beat her mother and called the police. As a result the family shunned her and she has not talked to her father in 10 years. She is still dealing with the effects of the abuse 10 years later. This is important to note. Violence and abuse affects us in so many ways and in a manner that many times we can't even imagine.
Catch, her friend and lover, helps her to focus on the truth and to find healing by facing her distorted thoughts that resulted from the abuse she witnessed. In this moving scene he helps her to feel the pain that she still carries and admit that it is there. By doing this and aligning herself to what is true she can deal with the pain and move on. The pain no longer controls her.
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