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Gwendellin Bradshaw is one of the most beautiful people in the world, bar none. She is gorgeous, with piercingly beautiful blue eyes and a smile that lights up a room. She speaks eloquently and intelligently about the experiences of her life. She is a musician and a writer. And when she was 9 months old her mother threw her in a fire, leaving her with scars over most of her body. Gwendellin’s story is that of overcoming and championing, but it’s not a nice story. Gwendellin has struggled to come to terms with the events of her life and this is the story of a 5 year journey towards a place in her heart where she can finally begin to repair and reconcile only some of the events of her life.

Many of us have experienced what Gwednellin has, dealing with the mental illness of a parent, psychological abuse at the hands of a parent who resented us, feelings of fear, loneliness, anger, helplessness and, most of all, a need to belong. What few, if any, of us have in addition to that is a lifelong constant daily reminder of where those scars came from and what they represent. Gwendellin talks about how looking in the mirror is like a horror movie, she looks and then she looks away.

The film follows Gwendellin’s journey through her pain, attempts to connect with the burn survivor community, struggles with mental illness, attempts at reconciliation with family and, especially, the search for her mother, which she believes to be the one thing she needs for closure. Because the film covers almost 5 years of her life, it is almost impossible to tell you about everything that happens, since it is the story of a journey – and one filled with sadness, joy, and forgiveness – so I strongly recommend that you simply experience it.

Gwendellin is exactly 24 days older than I am, which gave me a very personal experience of the film. It was very jarring to hear a year mentioned and see Gwendellin’s struggles and to be constantly comparing them to my own life. In some cases, I felt similarly to the way she did at that point in my life, in some cases completely different. Even though I think the effect was unintended, it’s a brilliant benchmarking technique. I’m certain that every girl growing into a young woman has felt similarly to Gwendellin at points – lost, alone, alien in their own skin, not knowing their place in the world, believing they will never amount to anything, feeling that they should simply leave. But not every girl turning into a young woman has had the challenges that Gwendellin has had and to see what one woman has gone through in order to stay, to find her relevance, to be able to confront her demons and look herself in the mirror was such an honour and privilege.

It is my very firm belief that this movie could not have been made by anyone other than Mary Rosanne Katzke, whose work with her company AffinityFilms, Inc in Alaska is, in my opinion, groundbreaking. Choosing to tell important and personal stories about illness and sexual assault (just to name a few topics) , she entered into this story with a slightly different angle. Having known Gwendellin since she was 3 years old and having a strong mother-daughter-like bond, this documentary has an extra layer of kindness to every shot that I think the film only benefited from. I think it is a testament to the kind of filmmaker that Katzke is that she was able to create enough distance in order to show the grim and the great of this story, but I think it is a testament to their relationship that Gwendellin was willing to let her – as well as a testament to Gwendellin’s desire to overcome what any and all barriers.

About Face: The Story of Gwendellin Bradshaw is a not to be missed experience. I won’t lie and say that it’s not a movie about a woman, by a woman and largely for women, but I will definitely say that it deals with universal issues that will affect everyone who sees them regardless of age, geographic location and gender. I am so glad to have had the experience of getting to know Gwendellin, only a little, and I wish her nothing but the best in the future. I also look very much forward to my next opportunity to see a Katzke documentary, since it’s so rare that I find a filmmaker after my own heart.

To find out more about Gwendellin Bradshaw go to the website here, including many resources on child abuse and mental health. To find out more about Mary Rosanne Katzke and AffinityFilms, Inc, visit their website here.