The Unspoken Truth Movie Analysis

Imagine living each day afraid of the one place that everyone should be able to seek comfort, home. Sometimes the abuse is obvious to those around you, such as in the case of physical abuse. However, other types of abuse, such as verbal or emotional, can be hidden for much longer. Domestic violence is a serious issue that occurs in homes around the world. Some women find that their only way of escape is to end the life of their abuser. Much about domestic violence is brought on by stress, paired with biological and psychological factors that mold the abuser into who he or she is. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the following four issues in comparison to the movie The Unspoken Truth: traumatic bonding, an abuser’s use of control, blaming …show more content…
Abusers never want to believe that things are their fault and, therefore, they default the blame on others. This makes the abuser feel better about themselves and their actions. In the movie, Clay did not want to take the blame for the murder, so he shifted the blame to his wife, Brianne. He used coercion and intimidation to get her to tell everyone the fictional story that he made up about what happened. Therefore, she admitted to accidentally shooting the gun, which killed a guy, when in reality it was Clay who shot the gun. Additionally, he blamed her for making him do such an act because she allowed other guys to flirt with her. To him, this was a better alternative than blaming himself for being paranoid and jealous. Clay would blame Brianne for the way that their daughter, Lily, acted, such as when they were playing chess got upset because she wanted to win. He then took that anger out on Brianne. Abusers blame others because they have a low self-esteem, and at the same time have a desire to portray perfection, in whatever sense that means to them. Blaming others, helps the abuser to feel better about themselves, justify their actions, and stay on the road towards their ideal …show more content…
Children can be a victim of domestic violence both directly and indirectly. They are directly a victim when they are abused. They are indirectly a victim when they watch someone else be abused, such as their mother being hit or yelled at by their father. Children who witness such scenes of violence may develop behavioral problems, such as tantrums or aggression.In the movie Lily, the daughter of Clay and Brianne, witnessed her mother take abuse from her father. She would also be used as a bargaining chip, per say, in order for Clay to ensure the compliance of Brianne, such as the time that he made a gesture as if to shoot Lily if Brianne did not get back in the house. Additionally, she was occasionally abused herself, by her father as well as her granny. She would be sent to Clay’s mother’s house, despite expressing her desire not to be sent there, where she would be yelled at, by her granny, and not be allowed to do anything. At home, if Clay, her father, got mad he would beat her with a belt, and then threaten her to ensure that she would not tell anyone. Lily was just a little girl who was exposed to too much, too early in life. However, she was so used to it that she thought it was normal, the abuse that she and her mother endured by her