My girlfriend and I watched this a few nights ago. I have to say it was a pretty powerful film. It didn’t change how I feel about child molestors (they’re scum) but it did change how I feel about dealing with them, especially special cases like Stevie’s.
I don’t want to say I felt bad for him, or sympathised with him, but I do not feel that jail is/was the answer for him. He clearly didn’t understand what exactly he did or why it was wrong or harmful and I strongly feel that jail will not change that. In fact, if he survives at all, prison will probably make him worse since he will likely get beaten and possibly raped. He will get out in ten years and probably do it again.
Would 10 years of therapy in place of jailtime help him? I have no idea. He has clearly suffered in life from a lack of love and support and I think the documentary maker and his wife had a very positive impact on him just by being around him so much for that time, even if some would say they were exploiting him.
All in all I thought this was a powerful, disturbing, and thought-provoking film. What did you think?
I watched it and didn’t know what to think. Stevie was given so many opportunities to plea bargain and get therapy, and he refused. The shame of it is that he has a real problem, but I don’t know if anybody could help him. He would probably be better off in some kind of supervised community home.
The filmmaker made on impression on me, as well. He couldn’t figure out what to do about Stevie. It came through that he didn’t like the boy, but felt guilty for not sticking by him. It must be hard to be in his place.
There is an overwhelming atmosphere of failure that hangs over this movie.
The filmmaker, Stevie’s family, and his former foster family all see with 20/20 hindsight how it was their responsiblity to nurture the sweet, misunderstood young man that they want everyone to know still lives inside of this semi-demented, unrepentant child molester. They failed to do so, and there’s nothing to be done about it now.
It’s too late for Stevie. Perhaps he would be better served by some sort of treatment, but if he is not capable of understaing the wrong he did, he can not be allowed his freedom.
And no, prison will not do him any good either. This is a destroyed life that has not yet mercifully ended.
I saw this film months ago, and I probably think about it every week.
I got the feeling that he refused because he was embarassed and didn’t want to admit that he was guilty, or that he thought it would all just go away if he ignored it.
I think he knows what he did but he is very very confused about it. He definitely does not comprehend the full scope of the situation.
It seems to me that a big part of his problem stems from the way his family members battled over everything when he was a child. He wants to love his mom, but has a hard time doing it. Not that she was any kind of good parent, but he obviously has so much turmoil in his life now do to his broken family. I have to wonder if anybody ever tried parenting him instead of just beating him when he did things wrong.
Did you get the impression that his abuse of the little girl was more about wanting her to look up to him as a teacher than about being sexual? There’s something about his girlfriend that makes me think that all he really wants is someone to look up to him.
I agree with scotandrsn. There’s no hope for him. He would have been troubled no matter what, but the way he was raised and continues to live has made him somebody that I just don’t have any hope for.
I also haven’t been able to stop thinking about this film since I saw it. Does anybody know if there have been any updates since filming wrapped? I kept thinking it was going to end with news that he had been beaten to death.