tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post6852269833360797607..comments2024-03-08T04:06:20.301-05:00Comments on TrustMovies: Russia's mammoth Oscar-shortlisted, LEVIATHAN, and a small American documentary, MENTOR, have a lot in common. Filmmaker Q&ATrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-55265539435324974372014-12-28T22:43:11.842-05:002014-12-28T22:43:11.842-05:00Oh, and Nymph33 -- I forgot to mention that I hope...Oh, and Nymph33 -- I forgot to mention that I hope someone will investigate Crossroads, as well. From what you say, it sounds as if that organization is designed to further the status quo, rather than help the victims....TrustMovieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-17133026084761342732014-12-28T19:29:54.474-05:002014-12-28T19:29:54.474-05:00Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble ...Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble -- and from the sound of your comments, courage, too -- to post here, Nymph33. What you tell us makes even this very disturbing documentary seems mild by comparison. <br /><br />I will see to it that the filmmaker, Alix Lambert, reads your comments, too. I hope that they, your life (which led to your making those comments), and the movie itself can somehow rev up the local and greater Ohio society to actually do something about this (rather than keep hiding it) so that this sort of thing does not continue to happen. <br /><br />I feel we are living more and more in a society that seems so inured to this kind of disgusting and unfair behavior that this is why many of our citizens now see torture on helpless prisoners as a good thing. This is what bullying and the approval of it leads to. And it does not make for a nation, including especially the leaders of that nation, of which we can any longer be proud.<br /><br />Again, thank you for taking the time to comment, and for doing it so intelligently and well.TrustMovieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-38414483722866158362014-12-28T18:53:48.304-05:002014-12-28T18:53:48.304-05:00I'm actually a member/survivor of mentor and j...I'm actually a member/survivor of mentor and just wanted to pop in and give my two-cents. Personally, I think that this film missed a lot of possible data. I've yet to see an actual record showing the number of students we lose before graduation. The suicides mentioned do not include those who died during the summer or over winter breaks. It does not include those who overdosed during the school year (and sometimes on school property). <br /><br />It doesn't go (and isn't able to, unfortunately), in-depth and look at how hard it is for kids in mentor to simply help their friends. A friend of mine tried to commit suicide and came in with long gashes along both of her arms. Her guidance counselor said that "we should handle it" as her friends, and refused to notify the girls parents. We had to talk to multiple counselors before finding someone who we trusted would contact her parents and ensure that our friend got the mental health treatment she needed. For those curious, this happened during the same school year when Eric "Twiggy" Mohat committed suicide, maybe 3 months prior. This is just one example of how hard it is to protect your friends and loved ones when you're at mentor high. <br /><br />Also, the mental health agency Crossroads needs to be looked into. I've had many friends leave that place worse than when they entered- suicidal, isolated, and with no hope. A friend of mine was told it was his fault his step-father physically abused him. I was told not to discuss being abused (physically and sexually) with anyone. I was told not to talk because my abused, a family member, would wind up in prison. I was nine, and talking with a social worker at Crossroads. As far as I know Child Protective Services were never informed of my abuse. It's been some time since I went to Crossroads, but I'm concerned that these same practices continue.<br /><br />I wish I could also see statistics on how many graduates die within their first five years after leaving mentor high. As someone from the community, I feel like the statistics would be startling, and help to show that this bullying problem is one issue within a toxic community that is more concerned with saving face than protecting and raising the next generation.<br /><br />As a survivor of this community I realize that it is toxic, in many horrifying ways. The bullying is just one example, a symptom of a much bigger problem within the community. I realize how horrifying it is to say. Over a dozen people have died because of how they were treated in mentor high, and this tragedy is just a symptom of a bigger problem which I do not know how to quantify, let alone combat. I hope that someday someone invests the time and effort to figure out all of the ways that mentor has gone wrong, so that we can someday fix it and make it a city where children are again safe to live and grow up.Nymph33noreply@blogger.com