Educational Media Reviews Online

This film by Lorian Elbert is a glimpse inside a Seattle halfway house in 2002. One of the opening screens reads, “This is a film about the people who live and work in two homes for the mentally ill.” That is true, yet it is much more than that—it is, as the series title states, about the human side of mental illness.

Divided into five sections (The Staff, Facility Closed, Funding, Christmas and Stereotypes), each providing different insights that create the whole story, you get the feeling that this is still only a peek behind the curtain to what life is really like for residents and staff. The crux of the film concerns the closing of Mercer Inn, an all female facility. About half the residents move into the Summit Inn, a co-ed house already filled to capacity. The resulting stress, acutely felt by everyone, manifests in different ways for both residents and staff. This situation segues nicely into the lack of funding for halfway houses and services for the mentally ill in Kings County Washington, and most likely for thousands of other communities throughout the United States. There is no where near enough money available for the basics such as regular housecleaning and food, not to mention home improvements, yet everyone gets by as best they can, and for the most part keep a positive outlook.

The staff—dedicated, hard-working counselors—are all young, and first assumptions that they must be over-worked and underpaid come through in their on-camera “diaries” as they explain the high staff turnover mostly due to long hours and low wages. This is not a typical office job you can leave behind you at 5 o’clock. One can’t help but admire their perseverance, strength and compassion for the residents and for the job they are doing. Diginity II is perfect viewing for anyone considering a position in the social work field.

The Christmas and Stereotype sections really underscore the inner feelings and emotions of living everyday with mental illness. The stigma placed on the “mentally fragile” by society and the behavior they are subject to everyday makes you wonder who the “normal” people really are. The residents of Summit Inn have, as the title says, dignity, and they deserve respect.

Elbert does a fine job of using black and white images, close-up interviews, and wider shots of the facility to make the connections between residents, staff and viewer. Opening photographs set on a photographer’s proof sheet are particularly effective both emotionally and aesthetically. The music doesn’t hurt either, an acoustic guitar piece that helps build an emotional bond with the visual images. Nicely filmed and edited Dignity II will undoubtedly change your perspective on several issues. Elbert’s film on life within aging facilities existing on meager public funding and donations sets the perfect stage for asking questions.