Antwone Fisher: Movie Review

The story of Antwone Fisher began when he was born to a teenage mother in a prison in Ohio. He grew up in foster homes where he suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse for many years. At the age of 14, he was thrown out of the foster home, by his abusive foster mother. From there he was placed in a reform school and then at the age of 17, found he homeless. A brush with criminal activity led to the death of a close friend and almost cost Antwon his life.

Antwone then joined the Navy and served for eleven years. He did well in the Navy except for his recurrent problems of anger. He would fight with little provocation. He was ordered to seek treatment as the result of his anger issues and meets psychiatrist Jerome Davenport. Initially, he is resistant to the idea of treatment for his anger issues but eventually begins to talk since he has little choice in the Navy but to cooperate. After five sessions, Antwon finally asks Dr. Davenport "what do you want me to say?" Davenport responds with the statement "It's not what I want you to say, it's what you want to tell me" . The conversation moves on to explore Antwone's fighting and anger. Davenport has forged a therapeutic alliance with Antwone and has earned his trust. He is able to ask questions, in an effort to encourage Antwone to open up more about his history. Davenport is a good listener and validates Antwone's experienced and perceptions. He is able to lead Antwone through a process of examining his behavior patterns and perceptions of people and situations. He is able to encourage Antwone to examine his self concept and feelings of self worth. They are able to explore historical issues related to slavery and the impacted on the self concept of generations of African American. In the therapy session, Davenport draws from a variety of theoretical orientations including behavioral, humanistic, psychodynamic and family systems .Antwone has obviously experienced much abandonment. He has lost his parents, his extended family, his friend and his foster families. He struggles to begin a relationship with a young female sailor and speaks to Davenport regarding his struggles into hat area.

Given his life experiences, it is s easy to understand why anger is an ongoing issue for Antwone. Dr. Davenport encourages Antwone to examine his past and resolve the conflicts. Fortunately, he has the support of a kind and loving girlfriend. Her family life is quite the opposite of Antwone's as she has the family he has craved for.

In treatment with Dr. Davenport, Antwone returns to his hometown in an attempt to discover the story of his childhood. He is able to locate and meet his father's family and is mother. He is also able to confront the abusive foster family. While many of the experiences on this trip are painful, he has a sense of liberation having met these people and tying some of the loose ends of his life. He eventually begins to break through his defensive and angry pattern of relating. He is able to develop a caring relationship with his girlfriend and begins to develop interests in poetry and drawing.

There are some issues in this movie regarding therapeutic boundaries. Antwone goes to the home of his psychiatrist and is invited for Thanksgiving dinner. This is unusual but also served to role model family life for Antwone. Antwone needed someone to model appropriate behavior for him in many areas. The psychiatrist took on the role of father and friend from time to time. This is not generally acceptable practices; however in this particular case the end result was quite positive. It may be that crossing boundaries such as these are more acceptable in a military environment where it remains very clear that Davenport is the superior,

Antwone had somehow developed amazing resiliency. He had the ability to see beyond the immediate crisis and was able to dream and plan a better future for himself. He had hope. He came to the Navy after many adversities and did well except of the anger issues. Because he had so many obvious strengths including intelligence, insightfulness and the ability to be successful, Davenport may have looked at him as more than a patient. He treated Antwone more as a colleague or student. However, he always maintained his air of expertise. It was always clear he was the treatment provider and he used his skills to move Antwone toward the process of exploration and self acceptance.

The movie does a good job taking the viewer through the life of a resilient many who has overcome tremendous adversity. There is a clear link from his childhood trauma to his feeling of anger and resentment as an adult. The fact that his behavior became so out of control that he was forced to seek treatment is realistic. The psychiatrist initially does an excellent job forging a therapeutic alliance, trust and open communication with eh client, Antwone. Antwone makes considerable progress as he self examines and makes the link from past history to present behavior, he is able to change behaviors and become a less angry and more loving peaceful man. He develops a close and satisfying relationship with a young woman. We know that Antwone Fisher goes on to become a very successful writer of course.

At issue in terms of therapeutic services are the many boundary issues that are clear as the story progresses. The psychiatrist begins to treat Antwone as a close friend, son and colleague. It is important for mental health professional watching this film, to be aware of the boundary issues. This is particularly important for younger and inexperienced therapist who may be eager for positive and quick results and so, will cross boundaries to get there. In this story, the end result was positive. But in real life, these issues can result in disaster for both the client and the therapist.