Prisoner of Her Past tells the haunting story of a secret childhood trauma resurfacing, sixty years later, to unravel the life of Holocaust survivor Sonia Reich. The film follows her son, Chicago Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich, as he journeys across the United States and Eastern Europe to uncover why his mother believes the world is conspiring to kill her. Along the way, he finds a family he never knew he had.
This film is the first to illuminate a little-known illness: late-onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Prisoner of Her Past examines the disorder’s devastating effect on families, but also shows programs that are aiding young trauma survivors of Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, and how such early interventions may have helped Howard’s mother.
57 minutes
Prisoner of Her Past on the Huffington Post
February 23, 2010
The Huffington Post's Andrew Wander today published a review of Kartemquin's new documentary Prisoner of Her Past. Lauding the film as a "a brave work of personal discovery that explores a scandalously under-reported phenomenon," Wander compliments the film's subject and Co-Producer, Howard Reich, for having the courage to undertake the journey to investigate his mother's late onset post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD). Read the rest of the review.
Prisoner of Her Past had its North American premiere at the 2010 Big Sky Film Festival. On Sunday, February 28th at 1:30pm, audiences in Illinois will have a chance to watch a special "sneak preview" of the film at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. To find out about more screenings and the upcoming DVD release, join the film's mailing list.
- Director
- Gordon Quinn
- Producers
- Joanna Rudnick
- Howard Reich
- Producer/Editor
- Jerry Blumenthal
"A brave work of personal discovery that explores a scandalously under-reported phenomenon… Prisoner of Her Past is a moving portrait of a son trying to understand his mother, and a reminder that the severity of a psychological scar is determined by the wound's initial treatment."
—Andrew Wander, Huffington Post
Big Sky Film Festival – North American Premiere, 2010