A few weeks ago, Kim Longinotto’s Love Is All proved an unexpected Valentine treat. This documentary may be tougher fare but it’s no less full of love, thanks to the extraordinary Brenda Myers-Powell who travels the mean streets of Chicago dispensing advice, comfort and condoms to the city’s abused and dispossessed women. Herself a sex-work survivor (she was nearly killed by a client), Myers-Powell has a non-judgmental affinity with those she mentors, listening to their stories, understanding their predicaments, intervening to break the poisonous cycle of guilt, blame and self-destruction. Their narratives are horribly repetitive – childhood rape; parental neglect; drug addiction; domestic violence – yet Brenda sees the inner-strength beneath, and a former pimp helps her to explain the psychological tricks of the trade to vulnerable youngsters. Like its subject, this documentary is powerful, honest, and empowering. Bravo.
