Jacinta

2020

1h 45m

Documentary

List

100%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

92%

Audience Score

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Shot over three years, the film begins at the Maine Correctional Center where Jacinta, 26, and her mother Rosemary, 46, are incarcerated together, both recovering from drug addiction. As a child, Jacinta became entangled in her mother's world of drugs and crime and has followed her in and out of the system since she was a teenager. This time, as Jacinta is released from prison, she hopes to maintain her sobriety and reconnect with her 10-year-old daughter, Caylynn, who lives with her paternal grandparents. Despite her desire to rebuild her life for her daughter, Jacinta continually struggles against the forces that first led to her addiction.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

An unflinching portrait of a Maine mother caught in an endless cycle of lies, thefts and drug abuse.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 14, 2021

Full Review

John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

Jacinta herself is so open, honest and beyond shame that the relationship between subject and director is like a phantom storyline all its own.

Oct 7, 2021

Full Review

Beatrice Loayza

New York Times

This is not a happy story. The lucidity with which these subjects speak to their own mistakes and sorrows will leave you haunted.

Oct 7, 2021

Full Review

Noah Berlatsky

Splice Today

It insists that viewers identify and sympathize with drug users and prisoners who are stigmatized and despised.

Feb 4, 2024

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

A powerful story about the never-ending cycle of generational trauma and self-medication.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 11, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It’s far from easy viewing, but it’s sure to open a lot of eyes.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 22, 2022

Full Review

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Lizzie L

It was truly helpful, and most of all, it helped me with my food addiction. I knew that AFTER seeing her daughter for the first time, Jacinta would have been triggered on so many levels which caused an immense emotional overload for her. This lead to an uncontrollable need to get high. I understood completely how and why Jacinta first used it again. All addicts, irrespective of the form their addiction takes, can benefit from watching JACINTA.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/01/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Definitively gives you a new perspective on addiction and the life of an addict. Not only about drugs, but the complexity of a close knit family and how one action from one family member essentially creates a domino effect. Beautiful, tear jerker!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

dave d

Jacinta is the story of the American nightmare. She never had a chance, but through the love for her daughter and some help she tries to break away from a life of drugs started by her mother. It's a tale that has never had this kind of access and Jessica Earnshaw takes full advantage and allows the story to tell itself. Tears will pour and you'll have to hit pause, but understanding addiction and what it can do to people is necessary for empathy. Sometimes life just isn't fair. It's a wonderful film and for all the down moments the glimpses of hope are what gives us motivation. Final Score: 9/10

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

cassandra y

I love watching documentary because it is real & tell the story better than reading in a book. After watching this film, I realize how powerful our parents' influence are. It is sad to see her life journey. After seeing her studying for her education.... so happy for her! Wish that would be the turning point of her life.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A raw, heartbreaking look at the cycle of drug abuse and incarceration among three generations of a family. Possibly the best documentary I've seen on drug abuse and the effects it has on family in the past decade.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Jessica Earnshaw

Director

Jacinta

Self

Jessica Earnshaw

Producer

Holly Meeh

Producer

Nimisha Mukerji

Producer

Patty Quillin

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Shot over three years, the film begins at the Maine Correctional Center where Jacinta, 26, and her mother Rosemary, 46, are incarcerated together, both recovering from drug addiction. As a child, Jacinta became entangled in her mother's world of drugs and crime and has followed her in and out of the system since she was a teenager. This time, as Jacinta is released from prison, she hopes to maintain her sobriety and reconnect with her 10-year-old daughter, Caylynn, who lives with her paternal grandparents. Despite her desire to rebuild her life for her daughter, Jacinta continually struggles against the forces that first led to her addiction.

Director: Jessica Earnshaw
Producer: Jessica Earnshaw, Holly Meeh, Nimisha Mukerji
Production Co: Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona, Shot Glass Productions, Artemis Rising Foundation, Lunamax Films, Impact Partners, Women Make Movies
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2021
Runtime: 1h 45m

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