MovieChat Forums > Awful Normal (2004) Discussion > This did not seem all that 'real'

This did not seem all that 'real'

posted 13 years ago by hendrix_Erika
2 replies | jump to latest

I swear this could've been staged considering how many errors were made!
First of all it seemed like the girls needed time to think about what they were going to say to the camera.
Secondly the fact that they were doing this for MONEY is really a scary thought! I mean if this was real why the hell would you want your molester to make a profit off of what he did to you? How messed up is that?! I mean the LAST thing i would want is someone who hurt me so much making money off of me! Clearly he got money because there was some kind of "consent" form that he never did sign! Bull to that!
Thirdly I found it VERY offensive when the pointed the finger only at Allen for making their childhood so hard. Their father CLEARLY molested them by taking showers with them and making them touch his penis! I mean what grown ass man who's right in the head thinks that is ok? How is that not molestation?! I would love to know that! I mean if anything I was waiting for the girls to say "maybe what we did with dad wasn't ok" or something like that! This documentary says that it's only molestation if ANOTHER person does it to you, outside of your family. That's F'ed up.
Fourth, his daughter Rebekah says she has NO childhood memories at all, however she said "Yeah whenever I was alone with your father I got a scared vibe." HUH? You can't remember anything so you claim but you remember the feeling you got when you were around their dad? LMAO talk about wanting attention!
Fifth these girls were way too whinny! Over dramatizing it! Sure it's a sad moment but the fact that you say "I can't hate him" BS and the mom hugging him was VERY ridiculous! How the hell can you hug someone who did that to your little girls? Sick woman in my opinion!
Oh and check Celesta's biography, she's done other films! Hmm...this was B.S! She wanted to get her face out there, be in other films or tv programs. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Things like this clearly make me think this is staged.
Your thoughts?

[–] Overblownego 12 years ago

I think it's important to constantly question information as it's presented to you, the notion that this was staged is one I think would be worthy of investigation, but none of the points you've brought up really strike me as valid. Not to say they might be entirely without merit, but there's a great deal of speculation and to some degree a naivety about how people can respond to trauma.

It makes a great deal of sense that they might want time to compose their thoughts before speaking. For one thing they're on camera, being composed would be conducive to expressing their thoughts and feelings to an audience. Those thoughts and feelings are bound to be very complicated just given the nature of the issue at hand. I can't imagine being in this kind of situation and not needing time to gather my thoughts so as to not misspeak.

The question of money is a complicated one, if any money was made, I can't imagine it was in any substantial amount. This film can't have cost very much to produce but given that it was only shown at festivals and doesn't seem to have had a wide DVD release tells me it wasn't exactly a cash grab. I seriously doubt the molester made a dime off this film, his refusal to sign the consent form was probably due to fear of being exposed rather than some kind of financial dispute. Really, who's to say he didn't sign it? These people obviously have a close relationship with the family of the molester, they may have withheld his image out of a desire to protect them. If that is the case it brings me to wonder if it might not potentially do more harm to protect his identity in case another victim of his watches it and fails to identify him, but it's useless to ponder the morality of what is purely speculation.

That third point of yours is a full on debate waiting to happen, mostly because it's primarily composed of your interpretation of a topic that was very glossed over.

It's actually very common for memories to remain submerged until something triggers them, in the case of unpleasant memories even more so. As an example I often fail to recollect bits of my childhood but then I'll eat a tuna sandwich and remember an afternoon eating lunch with my parents. Being near people you associate with someone who made you uncomfortable is bound to bring that kind of memory to the surface. In addition people are flawed, she may not have said exactly what she meant concerning her lack of memory.

Calling the Davis sisters whiny strikes me as somewhat cruel, dealing with such a complex and difficult memory is bound to be difficult, moreso if it has the stigma of being a long held secret attached to it. This man obviously played a large role in their childhoods outside of his abuse, the other family seems to have been almost an extension of their own, it's part of what makes this case so complicated. Having conflicting emotions strikes me as the most natural thing in the world these three women could be feeling.

Celesta's film history is far from impressive, 3 bit parts, the biggest of which was on Walker, Texas Ranger. It's also worth noting that Awful Normal is the last thing she's done, so in the unlikely event she was trying to use her family's story as a springboard to fame her scheme flopped fantastically. There's lots of people who've had a part in one or two TV shows, they're still people with lives and trauma.

[–] oldpantsnewjersey 9 years ago

It's standard to have anyone that appears on camera in the production of something intended to be released publicly sign a consent form. It doesn't mean they are getting paid--it just means they are authorizing their voice or image for use and will not come back in the future to sue or request compensation. I'm sure he briefly requested that his face be blurred and then signed the form.

I think you're being quite overdramatic with your nitpicking. Whether or not their own father molested them doesn't excuse Alan's behavior nor does it make it less compelling or cathartic for them to confront him. I'm also not sure what Celesta's 2-film acting career has to do with anything. Actors can be molested as children too.