Film Review: The Roses—The Life or Death of a Marriage
I must say how grateful I am that the marriage counselor in The Roses is not portrayed as a social worker. But her ineptness is integral to the satire of the film. Read our review.
View ArticleSocial Workers Are Elphaba
Elphaba is a symbol of hope for us, as social workers, because she reminds us that we do not have to conform to societal standards and expectations. We weren’t meant to fit the mold; we were meant to...
View ArticleSocial Workers Are Elphaba
Elphaba is a symbol of hope for us, as social workers, because she reminds us that we do not have to conform to societal standards and expectations. We weren’t meant to fit the mold; we were meant to...
View ArticleFilm Review: A Real Pain Exposes Isolation and Trauma Through a...
A Real Pain gently addresses myriad examples of intergenerational trauma that run the gamut from a lack of self-respect to self-loathing, leading to an inability to connect with others and the...
View ArticleFilm Review—Wicked Part One: The Personal Is the Political
At a time when desperately needed, the blended genius that created Wicked: Part One offers the magnificent beauty of hope. Review and commentary by SaraKay Smullens.
View ArticleFilm Review: It Ends With Us
It Ends With Us is a film adaptation of the best-selling Colleen Hoover novel of the same name. Intimate partner violence is a primary theme, and the movie has been surrounded by controversy. Did they...
View ArticleFilm Review: The Holdovers
Nominated for five Academy Awards and with the tag line "discomfort and joy," The Holdovers is a Christmas film and a Valentine, and a promise that despite the harshness of winter, spring will be ours.
View ArticleFilm Review: A Man Called Otto
The film opens six months after Otto’s cherished wife Sonya has died. In flashbacks, we learn how Sonya and Otto met, all they loved about each other, and the crisis they faced together. Marisol and...
View ArticleTen Angry Women Change Their World: Review of “Women Talking”
Based on a true story, Women Talking offers an “imagined response” to the drugging and rape of women and girls in a cult-like religious colony. SaraKay offers commentary and questions for reflection...
View ArticleFilm Review—White Noise: A Wake-Up Examination of Lethal Internal and...
“The 2022 film White Noise, written and directed by Noah Baumbach, is billed as a comedy-drama. But make no mistake: Baumbach’s achievement is a timely, deadly serious... brilliant depiction of life.”...
View ArticleFilm Review: The God Committee
The God Committee follows deliberations of a hospital transplant committee making a difficult decision. With all of its flaws, it brings attention to issues that are important to social workers and...
View ArticleCODA’s Uplifting Gifts: The Art of Love, Letting Go, and Far More
CODA, a film about a deaf family, is a portrait of the universality of the hopes, dreams, and challenges all families share, as well as a demonstration of what unabashed love is.
View ArticleFILM REVIEW—The Lost Daughter: Can A “Good Enough Mother” Be Good Enough?
The New Social Worker's SaraKay Smullens reviews The Lost Daughter, nominated for three Academy Awards. The Lost Daughter confronts, among other questions: What does the phrase “natural mother” mean?
View ArticleReview: Crip Camp—A Story of Empowerment, Hope, and Resilience
The empowerment, hope, and resilience that is demonstrated by Crip Camp is essential for social workers to know. Given the chance for self-determination, people will rise to the occasion, but the...
View ArticleFILM REVIEW: The Unforgivable—An Experience in Living Trauma and Life Demands
SaraKay Smullens reviews The Unforgivable, starring Sandra Bullock.
View ArticleFILM REVIEW: In Defense of Halle Berry’s “Bruised”—A Film Gift to Social Work...
SaraKay Smullens reviews the film Bruised, directed by and starring Halle Berry.
View ArticleREVIEW: The Mixed Messages of “Maid”—New Netflix Series Addresses Domestic...
Maid, an October 2021 release on Netflix, provides an opportunity to learn about domestic abuse, poverty, and social work. However, the series is not representative of all the complexities social...
View ArticleSeries Review: Mare of Easttown
Mare of Easttown - Two Love Letters and a Serious Omission. SaraKay Smullens provides commentary on the popular HBO series Mare of Easttown.
View ArticlePieces of A Woman: Exploring the Birth and Death of a Longed-For Child
Review of the film, Pieces of a Woman. SaraKay Smullens reviews from a social work point of view.
View ArticleBody Brokers: An Out-of-Control Perversion of The Affordable Care Act
Body Brokers is an unsettling film that reveals abuses that began to occur after the Affordable Care Act was signed in 2008, requiring every healthcare provider to cover treatment for substance use...
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