My Life My Lesson

As a young girl, the seemingly calm but inwardly disturbed teenager Felicia experienced her stepfather’s systematic physical abuse of her mother. Both parents struggled with addiction. After a few years away from home, Felicia returns to her family. Her mother is no longer drinking and lives with her three other children and lapdog in a small, overcrowded apartment. Felicia pushes her way through the chaotic household, while her stepfather attempts to make contact again after years of absence. “I’m coming over to kill your mom” is his cheerful message. The camera stays close to Felicia, observing and following her as she carries out her daily activities. Through phone conversations and text messages, she tries to keep her stepfather on the straight and narrow. In the meantime, she cares for her younger sisters and brother, worries about her looks and has a heart-to-heart on the balcony with her best friend Cherifa. When her stepfather continues to make death threats against her mother, Felicia’s life begins to slip beyond her control once again. The conflicting loyalties she then faces lead her to revert to self-destructive behavior. A poignant but unsentimental portrait of a troubled family and a young girl’s immensely difficult inner struggle.