Private Violence

2014

1h 21m

Documentary

Crime

Drama

List

92%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Cynthia Hill examines the case of Deanna Walters, a survivor of spousal abuse who embarks on a crusade for justice.

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Audience Member

A rivating film which will stay with you. Gloria Steinham is one of the producers and answered questions after today's showing in Pittsboro. The film takes a hard look at several domestic violence cases in North Carolina and wrestles with the question that this problem only affects poor people, and puts that myth to rest.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Powerful piece that tells stories of domestic violence.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Deanna Walters: I separated from him because he was hitting me. He convinced me along with others that he had changed. I wanted to believe it. Crudo documental que sigue la vida de Deanna que fue abusada por su esposo de una manera brutal y todos las dificultades que tiene que superar para lograr justicia, pero esta es anda mas un vistazo a lo que miles de mujeres y hombres lamentablemente soportan día a día. La violencia domestica es una epidemia y este documental examina de cerca las consecuencias que tiene no solo en la persona sino en la sociedad. Doloroso como es, vale la pena verlo.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Why do they keep going back?" is something I hear over and over from people who blame victim. This does a great job of explaining why.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Cynthia Hill

Director

Stacy Cox

Actor

Cynthia Hill

Producer

Rex Miller

Cinematographer

Tom Vickers

Film Editing

Wendy Ettinger

Executive Producer

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Neil Genzlinger

New York Times

Private Violence... shows with shocking clarity that the worst of such cases rarely involve just a single punch, and that the problem is far more entrenched than a trending-on-Twitter moment makes it seem.

Oct 20, 2014

Full Review

Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

"Private Violence" is extremely sad, but it has a lot of hope.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 20, 2014

Full Review

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Brisk and disturbing, it should be an eye-opener to anyone whose understanding of domestic violence amounts to the ignorant suggestion, "Why didn't you leave?"

Oct 16, 2014

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

A difficult film to watch precisely because it should be a difficult film to watch.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 20, 2020

Full Review

C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

A well-done advocacy doc using two women, one an advocate for protecting abuse victims and the other a survivor of abuse, to highlight the complexities of trying to escape an abusive relationship.

Jun 20, 2019

Full Review

Daniel Walber

Nonfics

Law enforcement, the justice system and society as a whole have often turned a deaf ear to these women. Private Violence is a deeply empathetic documentary response.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 16, 2014

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Cynthia Hill examines the case of Deanna Walters, a survivor of spousal abuse who embarks on a crusade for justice.

Director: Cynthia Hill
Producer: Wendy Ettinger, Lilly Hartley, Judith Helfand, Sheila Nevins, Julie Parker Benello, Regina K. Scully, Gloria Steinem, Jeffrey Tarrant, Cindy Waitt
Production Co: Chicken & Egg Pictures, Candescent Films, Artemis Rising Foundation, Markay Media, HBO Documentary Films
Genre: Documentary, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 21m

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