"No sane person intentionally hurts themselves," April Winburn says in this autobiographical explanation of cutting, a version of self-mutilation that has become disturbingly common among adolescent girls, Her statement is meant to mock the double standards set by the adults in her life, chiefly a chain-smoking mother who rues her daughter's bizarre addiction but won't model the recovery process by ending her own cycle of abuse. The same accusatory tone permeates WInburn's piece and keeps it from rising above the level of adolescent angst. That's unfortunate because Winburn has focused on a topic of great importance to parents, educators, and other youths, and she makes some powerful and intelligent connections. But the lack of outside commentary, research, or a broader context for understanding the practice of cutting causes this documentary to sound more like a recruiting tool than a cautionary tale.
I hope Winburn will continue sharing her impressive voice with us. But first I wish she would concentrate on getting well.