This 30 minute short follows Beth, a young girl with severe problems. Abused and molested as a child, she is extremely aggressive, physically abusive, and verbally hateful to her family. She's threatened them with knives, often tells them how much she wishes they were dead, and must be locked in her room at night to prevent her from terrorizing them. She's only 6 years old.
Beth was adopted by a minister and his wife when she was 19 months old, along with a young baby boy named Jon. The new parents were not informed that both children came from extremely abusive families. The abuse was so extensive it affected their learning capabilities and stunted Beth emotionally. From an early age she was physically aggressive and sexually aware.
What's most shocking about this film is the interviews with Beth. Calmly and straightforwardly, she describes in detail what she has done to her younger brother (abuse both physical and sexual) and her desires to see her entire family killed. She talks about stealing knives from the kitchen and hiding them, planning to stab her family to death. She speaks with such lack of emotion, no shame or remorse in her voice or actions. At points she seems to acknowledge what she does and thinks is wrong, but only on a superficial level; evidence that she has been told it's wrong, but maybe doesn't see it as wrong herself, or understand why it is.
The film has left me with a lot to think about. It shows me that there are no truly evil people; I don't believe you are born good or bad. It is the experiences we have that shape us. She was abused by a sick individual, and thus became sick herself. Probably the person who abused her was also abused, and the cycle continues on and on ad nauseum. When you can't blame a person, but instead the experience, it becomes that much harder to come to terms with it. People stop being predators and start being victims, even when they turn around and prey on others. It's victims hurting victims.
Also, side note: the film states that due to her abuse Beth was unable to develop a conscience, and thus able to perform bad deeds without remorse. It makes it sound like the conscience is a physical function that needs to be set in place by a certain age. I don't know if I believe that. What is the conscience, exactly? A set of moral codes that are handed down through social instructors like family, friends and the media? Couldn't those play a role in influencing you at any stage in your life? Conscience isn't formed as strictly as the brain is formed, is it?
Check out this difficult to watch documentary here:
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