BOOKLIST REVIEW
"...A refreshing take on the theme of average citizen versus the government.... This film is a profile of strength and determination in the wake of tragedy." -- Booklist
There Ought to Be a Law.
Jan. 2007. 56min. There Ought to Be a Law, DVD, $30.
REVIEW: First publishedOctober 15, 2007 (Booklist).
In 2004 Cathy Crowley’s 18-year-old son took his own life with a shotgun he purchased from a Wal-Mart the weekend of his death. After Crowley learns the gun was purchased in accordance with Maine laws, the grief-stricken mom becomes an activist who devotes herself to convincing politicians to get behind a state bill that would raise the legal age to 22 and require a 10-day waiting period to purchase firearms. She succeeds in getting legislators to introduce the bill but soon finds herself battling the tedium of political processes and the powerful National Rifle Association. This compact and restrained documentary is a refreshing take on the theme of average citizen versus the government. A reluctant political activist who had never voted, Crowley became a powerful voice for mothers and others concerned with firearm regulations. Augmented with interviews of lawmakers, activists, and other experts, this film is a profile of strength and determination in the wake of tragedy.
— Elliot Mandel
PRESS
Mother Fights to Change Gun Laws
By Nancy Grape
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, February 4, 2007
Cathy Crowley of Lewiston is easy to recognize. With her dark hair touched with gray, a generous smile and clothes that have seen plenty of wearing, she looks like many women you've stood behind in a checkout line at Wal-Mart...
Read More
"Wholly absorbing."
Mark Griffin
Boston Globe - April 3, 2007
Film Documents Woman's Tragedy, Efforts to Change Gun Law
Clarke Canfield, The Associated Press
Boston Globe - January 5, 2007
Catherine Crowley tried to change a state gun law after her 18-year-old son killed himself with a shotgun he bought at a Wal-Mart...
Read More
Film on Lawmaking Applauded
By Laurie St. Pierre, Staff Writer
Lewiston Sun Journal - January 8, 2007
AUBURN - Filmmakers received a standing ovation from more than 80 audience members who attended the premiere of the documentary "There Ought To Be A Law" at Central Maine Community College Sunday afternoon...
Read More
There Ought to Be A Law
By Dr. James H. Maier
Letter to The Forecaster - January 11, 2007
Thanks for Amy Anderson’s excellent review of the documentary film “There Ought to be a Law,” describing the courageous efforts of Cathy Crowley to persuade Maine legislators to enact a waiting period of gun sales to anyone under 21...
Read More
Gun Bill Story is a Real Tragedy
By BDN Staff
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, April 21, 2007
Anyone who spends much time in Augusta watching the legislative process knows that at times it can truly be as boring as watching paint dry...
Read More
Film Highlights Mother's Gun-Law Crusade
By COLIN HICKEY Staff Writer
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel - Monday, April 23, 2007
WATERVILLE -- Cathy Crowley believes her only son would be alive today if Maine had greater restrictions on the ability of young people to purchase a gun...
Read More
Maine Public Broadcasting Network:
Maine Things Considered - Aired 1-5-07
Click Here to download the mp3 audio file: Cathy Crowley Interview
Maine film bolstered by $10,000
By Bonnie Washuk, Staff Writer
Lewiston Sun Journal - March 13, 2008
AUBURN - The Paul Robeson Fund of New York has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Maine documentary, "There Ought to Be A Law," allowing the film greater exposure...
Read More
|
