Suzanne, Suzanne (1982)

Biography, Documentary, Short Film

Director: Camille Billops, James Hatch

Writer(s): Camille Billops, James Hatch

Starring: Suzanne Browning, Billie Browning, Michael, Brownie

Synopsis: An insightful 30-minute documentary about a black middle class family in crisis; specifically, it’s a profile of a young black woman named Suzanne Browning, as she confronts a legacy of physical abuse and its role in her descent into substance abuse. The film was conceived by Browning’s aunt, Camille Billops, as a sort of cinematic drug intervention. Family remembrances revealed the truth behind the addiction. Armed with the key to her own self-destructive behavior, Suzanne struggles to understand her father’s brutality and her mother’s passive complicity. After years of silence, Suzanne and her mother are finally able to share their painful experiences with each other in a moving moment of truth.

Release Date: 1982 (USA) | Length: 30 min | Genre: Biography | MPAA Rating: NR

Note: Added to the National Film Registry in 2016. I haven’t been able to find out where and when this was originally screened. Still looking. I need to watch the documentary to better identify people.

Official Site