''Suzanne, Suzanne'' is a 1982 short
documentary film
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
about a young African-American woman coming to terms with personal and family struggles. The film was directed by
Camille Billops and James Hatch and is semi-autobiographical, based on Billops' niece, Suzanne.
Summary
The film focuses on Suzanne, Billops's niece, and her mother, Billie, whose relationship has been strained and accordingly mediated by their shared, but largely unspoken experience of abuse at the hands of the late family patriarch, Brownie. Suzanne, a recovering heroin addict, details the emotional and physical trauma of her childhood as part of the keys to understanding her own self-destruction.
''Suzanne, Suzanne'' is the first of three films in Billops and Hatch's Family Trilogy—which also includes ''Finding Christa'' (1991) and ''String of Pearls'' (2002).
Accolades
In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
See also
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1982 in film
The following is an overview of events in 1982 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.
Highest-grossing films North America
The top ten 1982 released films by ...
*
Drug abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, title=Suzanne, Suzanne, id=tt6087350
''Suzanne, Suzanne'' on TCM.com
1982 films
African-American films
United States National Film Registry films
Films about child abuse
Films about drugs
1980s English-language films
American short documentary films
1980s American films
English-language short documentary films
1982 short documentary films