''A Better Man'' is a 2017 Canadian
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
co-directed by Attiya Khan and Lawrence Jackman in which Khan, a survivor of
domestic abuse
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...
, meets with the man who abused her to see if he can take responsibility to heal and repair the harms he created. The first filmed encounter between her and her ex-boyfriend, identified only as "Steve," took place in April 2013. After the initial contact, several of the conversations were facilitated by Tod Augusta-Scott, a prominent counselor in the
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
field. The film also follows them back to their old high school as well as an apartment in Ottawa, and shows how the violence still affects Khan.
The film was financed through
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
on
Indiegogo; it raised over $110,000
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
, making it one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in Canadian history.
Upon release, it received mostly positive reviews from critics,
and was chosen as one of the top 10 best films of 2017 by ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
''.
Background
After leaving Steve when she was 19, Khan would continue to encounter him in public. The first time she saw him, two years after she left him, Khan was weak and speechless. But as they continued to meet by chance over a six-year period, and her life continued to improve, they'd exchange a few minutes of small talk. It was during such chance encounter in 2011 that Steve asked if they could sit down. Once seated, Steve repeatedly apologized before bursting into tears.
[
In the ensuing years, Khan wondered if talking to Steve more might help her deal with her trauma, and help Steve to better understand the roots and consequences of his violence and make him less likely to reoffend. She also decided to try to record such a dialogue as a resource for both domestic abuse survivors and offenders. She proposed such an idea to Steve in 2013. Six months later, he texted her that he was ready to meet. Two days later, they did so at a coffee shop for their first recorded exchange. Khan and her ex-abuser would go on film eight days together over the course of a year, sharing their memories and experiences and with Steve facing the consequences of what he did.]
Production
''A Better Man'' was co-produced by Intervention Productions (prod. Christine Kleckner) and the National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
(prod. Justine Pimlott
Justine Pimlott is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, and co-founder of Red Queen Productions with Maya Gallus. She began her career apprenticing as a sound recordist with Studio D, the women’s studio at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), ...
), and executive produced by Sarah Polley
Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979) is a Canadian actress,Howell, Peter (September 24, 1999)"Nobody's Starlet: Toronto's Sarah Polley is Only 20 but already a veteran actor so secure in her craft she can thumb her nose at Hollywood" ''Tor ...
, Anita Lee, Jane Jankovic, Janice Dawe, and Kathy Aurich-Johnson. The music was composed by Lesley Barber
Lesley Barber (born 1962) is a Canadian composer of music for film, theatre, chamber and orchestral ensembles and she is also a conductor, pianist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Barber is best known for composing the film scores for '' Ma ...
. Iris Ng was the film's cinematographer, having previously worked with Polley on ''Stories We Tell
''Stories We Tell'' is a 2012 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Sarah Polley and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The film explores her family's secrets—including one intimately related to Polley's own identi ...
''.
''A Better Man'' was co-written and co-directed by Attiya Khan. Attiya Khan is a Canadian filmmaker, anti-violence activist, and intimate partner violence survivor. She graduated with a degree in women's studies and psychology from the University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
. Her interest in helping others who have experienced domestic violence led her to take the Assaulted Women's and Children's Counsellor/Advocate program at George Brown College
George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...
. Her career highlights include overseeing the Children and Youth Services Program at Transition House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and wide-ranging roles including frontline work, management and training with YWCA Toronto. She is based in Toronto.
Crowdfunding
The film was crowd-sourced through an Indiegogo campaign, with Feist among the donors, contributing $10,000. The campaign would go on to raise over $110,000—one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in Canadian history.
Release
The film screened at numerous film festivals and had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...
, where it was considered "one of Hot Docs most stirring films."
Today ''A Better Man'' continues to play at international film festivals and violence against women events. The film also plays on occasion at Hot Docs
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...
in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
Distribution
''A Better Man'' is distributed in the United States by Women Make Movies.
Reception
Since its release, the film has received mostly positive reviews from critics; Kate Taylor
Kate Taylor (born August 15, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She is the younger (and only) sister of renowned singer-songwriter James Taylor, a six-time Grammy winner.
Biography
Taylor was born ...
of ''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' listed the film in her top 10 list of films for 2017.
''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' film reviewer Doreen St. Félix
Doreen St. Félix (born 1992) is a Haitian-American writer. She is a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' and was formerly editor-at-large for ''Lenny Letter'', a newsletter from Lena Dunham and Jennifer Konner, Jenni Konner.
Early life
St. Féli ...
commended the film's "cleverness" and wrote that "it resists the roundness of resolution or catharsis". Arwa Mahdawi of ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described the film as "a call to action for abusive men to stand up and take responsibility for their anger and their actions." CBC host of '' The Current'' Anna Maria Tremonti
Anna Maria Tremonti (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian radio and television journalist who has been featured on a variety of radio and television programs on the CBC.
She has served as a senior reporter for '' The National'', where she won two G ...
stated that "there is a lot of raw emotion in this film and there is a lot hope." ''Maclean's
''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...
'' reported that "the film manages to be simultaneously agonizing and hopeful… it is revelatory to know these kinds of estorativeconversations are possible."MacLean's
/ref> Miriam Bale of Vulture.com called the film a "revolutionary documentary."
''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' published a less enthusiastic review, concluding that "the vagueness and ambiguity of the situations eventually proves frustrating and detract from the film's power."
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
made a review saying "''A Better Man'' offers a fresh and nuanced look at the healing and revelation that can happen for everyone involved when men take responsibility for their abus
commenting on the films use of healing process in domestic violence situations.
See also
* Restorative justice
*Domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
* Domestic Violence Documentaries
*Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...
*Thordis Elva
Thordis Elva Thorvaldsdottir ( is, Þórdís Elva Þorvaldsdóttir) is an Icelandic author, speaker, playwright and activist for gender equality. In 2017, she gained world-wide recognition for writing the book ''South of Forgiveness.'' She was vo ...
- book of rape and responsibility.
References
External links
*
*http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c959.shtml
*
*
''A Better Man''
at The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Better Man, A
Canadian independent films
Canadian documentary films
Films about domestic violence
2017 films
Documentary films about violence against women
Films shot in Ottawa
National Film Board of Canada documentaries
Films scored by Lesley Barber
Documentary films about reconciliation
Indiegogo-funded films
2017 documentary films
Violence against women in Canada
2010s English-language films
2010s Canadian films