DVD Review: Invisible Scars

Invisible Scars is a documentary about child abuse. The movie’s co-director and co-producer, Johnna Janis, was abused by her father as a child, and by exploring and exposing that abuse with this documentary, she seems to be coming to terms with her own experience. It is obviously a very personal film, and she herself is on camera for the majority of it. Right at the beginning of the film, in voice over, she tells us, “I’m also a survivor of child sexual abuse.”

Interestingly, the first images in the film are very positive, happy ones – images of her children and footage of her wedding in 2009. Her husband, Dean, provides his perspective too, for a time. Johnna was involved in a car accident, which left her in pain and requiring surgery. Johnna compares the lack of control she felt after the accident to the lack of control she felt as a child. Before the accident, she was very active physically. But after it, she didn’t have that avenue of escape from the memories and flashbacks that plagued her. And so, through this film, she deals with them. There is some video footage of her as a child taken by her father, which surprised me.

Johnna does interview others about child abuse, including a psychologist and a victims’ attorney, who give advice to parents about talking with their children. And Johnna talks with other survivors of child abuse, who have their own heartbreaking stories and details. “I never went to sleep feeling safe in my house,” one woman says. Johnna actually created a support group, and filmed a meeting in which each of the members talks about his or her past and resulting troubles. Plus, there is information on the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, regarding the relationship between childhood trauma and a person’s health later in life. The film shows us the questionnaire that this study uses, with questions such as “Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or who used street drugs?” This stuff is particularly interesting. She also talks with Matt Sandusky. This film is partly about healing through talking about the issue, and it is also about the impact – positive and negative – we have on each other’s lives.

Johnna does get into stuff regarding her car accident and taking the other driver to court, which isn’t nearly as interesting or compelling. And after the trial, she ended her marriage to Dean. But either she isn’t giving us enough information about this for us to care, or she is giving too much, for it feels a bit off the track. If it’s related, we need to see how. It’s not enough just to give us information about her current life, but to connect it all. Some of the best stuff in this film is when other people are telling their stories, or when the experts give information on abuse and the ongoing issues stemming from it.

Special Features

The DVD includes a lot of bonus footage (more than an hour’s worth), including an interview with former NFL player Al Chesley, more with Johnna’s husband, more with the psychologist, and more with Erin Merryn. There is some really interesting stuff with Dr. Vincent Felitti, as well as personal stories from other victims. There are also short biographies of Johnna Janis and Sergio Meyers.

Invisible Scars was directed by Johnna Janis and Sergio Meyers (Meyers also directed The Zombinator), and was released on DVD on March 29, 2016 through First Run Features.