Awful Normal (2004)

• 58%
• 2004
• Documentary
• Celesta Davis
• Celesta Davis
• Ellen Davis
• Karen Davis

Celesta and Karen Davis grew up in a loving family. They shared many wonderful childhood moments and, at the time, thought it all was normal. But when Karen and Celesta were molested in 1978, little was being done about sexual abuse. Their parents' lack of action was neither questioned nor challenged, including years of continued social contact with the perpetrator, his wife and their two young children. This made for some not-so-normal memories. Twenty-five years later, feeling unresolved, they begin their quest to find the man who took advantage of their innocence and to ask him something that has haunted them for almost their entire life: "Why?" Director Davis takes one of the most personal journeys to tell her and her family's remarkable story, exploring the inner depths of a woman's psyche, which has been harmed, but refuses to be broken. A testament to the fragility and strength of the human spirit, "Awful Normal" explores the ripple effect of a single action across generations and families and puts these women literally face to face with their demons.