So heartbreaking. This poor boy obviously felt so lost and helpless and I believe that if he hadn't done it that his father wud have some day if not that night. The ending seeing AJ brought me to tears. I really Pray that he will find true happiness, love and have a life that he truly deserves :heart:
There's just so much abuse out there and people who haven't experienced it firsthand often have a hard time recognizing it until it's too late. It was only in the last 25 years we recognized battered spouse syndrome and that can happen to anyone, even those who had normal childhoods. So it was a struggle to watch the first couple episodes as they saw a 17 who had been abducted 12 years earlier, psuedo-legally, and then placed into this kind of abuse during the years many of us learn to cope with society as a whole. His whole life isolated, no friends, no family and his step brother and step mother being his only glimpse into this was not how it was supposed to be when they left.
By the end you will be rooting for him, and it just broke my heart beginning to end. For the final clips where you see how the first real chance to heal has finally begun, it's both gut wrenching and full of hope. An excellent telling of his story by the camera crew/director.
As for Anthony, he's survived an ordeal and I hope that he lives a good life.
Shout by hannahBlockedParent2022-08-10T08:20:43Z
there are a lot of people who will benefit from seeing this. i hope they all watch it, and learn something. the way that anthony handles expressing himself and his feelings is something i'm still learning how to overcome in my thirties and something i watched my brother go through, too. an affect like this isn't a sign that there's nothing there; it's a sign that there's so fucking much there that it'll choke you if you feel it.