As important as her message is, it still would have been easy for Shelton to hide behind the camera and not lay bare her own injured soul. However it’s readily apparent throughout the film that making this very personal documentary was in its own way cathartic.
The movie follows Angela Shelton as she travels throughout the United States meeting other women named Angela Shelton. As she gets to know this racially and culturally diverse group of women, she finds most of the Angela Shelton’s have in some way been victims of sexual abuse. The turning point in the documentary comes as Shelton meets a member of her like-named brethren who happens to track sexual predators. In a very unnerving coincidence, this Angela lives in the same town as the filmmaker Angela’s abusive father.
The confrontation with her estranged father is the key turning point in the film and a key moment in Shelton’s ability to come to terms with her past. The aftermath of the meeting provides one of the most honest moments recorded on film I’ve ever witnessed.
“Angela Shelton” is captivating, inspirational and haunting. Shelton’s important message of ending violence resonates well after the film’s conclusion.
