Seville's Story: Choosing to Live Clean 2006
Distributed by Films Media Group, PO Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2053; 800-257-5126
Produced by ABC News Nightline
Director n/a
DVD, color, 23 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Biography, Drama, Rehabilitation, Social Sciences, Social Work, Storytelling
Date Entered: 04/25/2008
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication, University of California, Santa BarbaraThis two-part DVD series (titles are From the Badlands to Redemption, and The Doctor and the Reverend) was originally broadcast on the ABC News program Nightline on February 3rd and 4th, 2005. It tells the story of Merrill Jackson, known as "Seville" or "The Doctor." His life of crime and drugs was transformed when he met Joann Muller, an activist Christian minister and mother of five from the suburbs of Philadelphia. The two videos use intimate interviews with these two people, as well as footage of the crime-infested neighborhoods of Philadelphia, to show Jackson's painful struggle to move away from his past criminal and drug background.
This film is a very personal and realistic examination of one man's life, as well as the person who helped him to affect change and create direction in his life. Ted Koppel does an excellent job of interviewing both Jackson and Muller, and shows the rewards and challenges of drug recovery.