Final Productions

She's Only Six

This one hour ‘point-of-view’ documentary by filmmaker Cynthia Banks is a haunting, and yet occasionally humorous personal account of the devastating long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse.

Because it is drawn from her own life, Banks artistry, and the power of her raw emotions make ‘She’s Only Six’ moving and compelling.

After giving birth to a daughter in 1995 Banks plunges into insanity, losing her ability to function and is forced to confront the secret demons of her past. As she begins to challenge the intrusive childhood flashbacks of sexual abuse by her uncle, Banks must struggle to alleviate the shame, anger, and anxiety of what happened then, and the denial of what was happening 30 years later.

The biggest fight is in her own mind, when the lines of reality are blurred between past and present, mother and daughter, ally and perpetrator. Her journey turns her comfortable sub-urban family life upside down and she must confront, change and re-build the relationship with her husband, children, parents, and self in order to survive.

She’s Only Six provides a rare autobiographical presentation of Banks’ own childhood sexual experience using flashbacks from black and white 1 mm family footage and diary excerpts, and documents her descent into insanity and the struggle through the last decade with her husband and children by home video footage. The realities of the affects of the abuse are exposed by interviews with her husband, best friend, and parents, as well as, raw conversations with her children.

By publicly exposing the realities of the abuse, ‘She’s Only Six’ addresses a significant mental health issue for Canadians. It is called the silent epidemic.

This documentary was chosen to be screened at the Vancouver and Montreal International Film Festivals and the New York Independent Film Festival.

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