Woman Thou Art Loosed

This movie (as well as the book and play) addressed sensitive issues that touch the lives of men, women and children everyday. However, theses issues are usually not openly discussed and are often hidden, which leads to mental and emotional break-downs or destructive behavior.

The movie not only captured several issues, including sexual abuse, verbal abuse, abandonment, low self-esteem etc. It also demonstrated the negative effects of covering up the issues through lies, misplaced aggression and denial. I liked the way the movie displayed the effect that the revival incident had on each character that was involved. I was also touched by the positive and encouraging words offered by the minister which ultimately had an effect on the main character.

I really enjoyed the movie and got a chance to see Bishop TD Jakes from a different perspective. I believe this is the side of ministers that we don't see, where they visit the sick, prisoners, etc. And unless we have a crisis in our family probably will never see. Since I missed the first few moments I was a little confused by what was going on since the scenes jumped from the jail cell to the church to the past. However, the plot is not hard to follow. The characters were all great and did an excellent job in there parts.

I sure many feel its a movie for women and that is not necessarily so. After watching the movie I am definitely interested in reading the book.

This movie has such a powerful message! Kimberly Elise does a superb job as abuse victim Michelle Jordan whose life went spiraling down a black hole after her "innocence was stolen" by her mother's lowdown-dirty-snake-of-a-boyfriend and her mother turning her back on the situation. I watched this movie with my 13yr old daughter and it made me want to hold her even closer to me than I already do because I can't imagine her going through something like that. Loretta Divine also does an excellent job as her selfish-in-denial-but-ever-"man-hungry" mother. Debbie Morgan is superb as the humorous, comforting, and advising family friend and Clifton Powell couldn't be anymore convincing as the snake-in-the grass boyfriend. T.D. Jakes put together a stellar cast to bring such a moving and powerful story to the big screen. There are so many lessons taught in this movie as well as learned. The character of Michelle is trying to deal with trust issues from her standpoint as well as others. In the scene where she has been ushered to a seat at church and the lady usher sees that she is wearing an electronic monitoring device on her ankle and then she asks her did she take a Bible and Michelle gets very upset and gives an upsetting reply. Then Michelle sees that others are taking and using the Bibles to study during the service and she realizes what the lady meant. Although it doesn't end all "warm and fuzzy", it is a must-see for anyone who is battling with or seeking forgiveness.

If you loved DEAD MAN WALKING as much as I did, then you'll also appreciate this prison-set film based on a book and a play by AME Bishop Jakes. Like Matthew Poncelet in Sr. Prejean's story, this one features a character who is a composite of several real life abused women whom the good bishop ministered to through the years. Michelle is on death row when Bishop Jakes visits her. At first she almost ignores him as she works on a model house made up of match sticks or small pieces of wood. She had not expected him to come, he being so big time--his face was on the cover of TIME Magazine--but it soon appears that their paths have crossed before and that her mother is one of the clerks who works in his evangelism campaign. Before going any further I should reassure any readers made nervous by the fact that a real-life bishop is a main character, that this is not one of those syrupy Billy Graham films. It is an unabashedly religious, no, a Christian film, but it is gritty in its realistic detailing of drug addiction, child abuse, prostitution and such, well deserving of its R rating. It is a compelling story of a woman's descent into hell and of her slow journey back. The cast is excellent, with Bishop Jakes playing himself--not just in the pulpit, but in some intense scenes in Michelle's prison cell that demand more than pulpit oratory. In another life he could have made it as an actor. The crew members are all Hollywood pros, so the production values are excellent. A neat symbol is the house on which Michelle labors so long over--it is the last thing we see before the fade to black and the credits roll, so it serves as a good symbol (far better than the full scale house in LIFE AS A HOUSE). There are plenty of interesting male, as well as female characters, so you shouldn't look at this as a "woman's film," nor as an African American one. Exploring the terrible damage those close to us can do to one another, and of the almost impossibility of forgiveness, it's a film that I will be thinking about for some time to come.

I have never cried so much in my lifetime. The characters in this movie were so close in name as well as in nature that I felt I needed to write and tell the world. I am Michelle and I created my own prison for myself by not forgiving, let alone knowing how to forgive. All I wanted was for my mother to believe what happened to me and do something about it instead of accusing me. Like Michelle, I also was not believed, but told not to say anything to anyone. I was killing myself by eating excessively, and not trusting or forgiving anyone. My drug was sleeping around to try to make myself feel better and feel accepted. And twenty+ years later, I still don't feel any better. I could not stop crying. Something deep inside me said get up and write this down so someone else could see that they are not the only ones going through something difficult. I can honestly say that I have not survived my past. I am still imprisoned. The house that Michelle built is the house that I still reside in (no doors). I must tell anyone who is reading this, that the situation alone will take away so much from you. I have lost the strong relationship that I could have had with my own daughter. I love my daughter, but find it hard to be close to her. I feel like I am a functioning zombie. What makes me strong is that I can talk about it now. It took someone very close to me to make me write it down. He said if you cant confront the person then write it down and it will make you feel like you have told the person. Afterwards, he said mail it or throw it away. For all that good advice that I was given that day, I wrote the letter and I still look at it from time to time. I sent it to my mother expressing my feelings, but like Michelle's mother - no "I'm sorry" or "I should have believed you". My dilemma is that I cant seem to get that door opened. I am tired of holding onto this pain. I will get the help that I need, but for today I feel good just being able to say that I still have the opportunity to get the help I need. One day, I will be able to forgive my mother and the rapist, but not today.