This was way too much of a platform for the mom, Charity... a badly conceived moniker if there ever was one. She was really shocked by what her son Paris did? It's inexplicable? SERIOUSLY?!
First, she grooms Paris as her little man, the little boy who "saved her life." Then Ella is born, and she takes his place as the most favored child. That would be a stark difference after so long, and it's doubtful that Charity spent much time reinforcing her continuing love of Paris. Instead she just lumped her first child with judgment, neglect and co-parenting responsibilities.
Paris' absentee dad had paranoid schizophrenic symptoms. His mom Charity was off doing coke when he was 12 and Ella was 3, leaving Paris to care for Ella. He ended up in a psych ward around that time. The facility insisted he should remain there, but his mom wouldn't have it. Five or six months later, he killed Ella.
The mom says she has never wanted the dads to be part of her children's lives because she doesn't like to share or compromise. She has cut her son off from his grandma for sending Paris admittedly objectionable reading materials. However the grandma seems to be the one who actually still sees her grandson Paris as a person and is somewhat self-aware. His mom has successfully cut him off from the one adult who cares about him.
The mom is in DEEP denial about her behavior and the toll it takes on those around her. As the documentary progresses, you see more and more that she thinks she is "woke," that she's accountable for her actions, that everyone around her is wrong, that she's the expert... on everything. She's extremely arrogant, defensive, self-focused and manipulative. It seems clear that, given a choice between her children and her, she'll decide in her own favor without a moment's true regret.
She sees herself as a victim and her son as The Perpetrator. She martyrs herself by "allowing contact" between Paris and new child Phoenix... saying "I love you" to Paris... sounding like she's strangling. She says she "forgives" Paris, but rips all his letters in two. That's creepily juvenile and psychotic. She seems much sorrier for herself than for her children.
Even the grandma seems more reflective and prone to try to understand Paris. She does seem inappropriate in terms of material she sends, but she seems to care about her grandson, to see him and hear him, and understand. She doesn't see herself as above him.
The mom fits squarely in clinical description of a narcissist. She is in total denial about her culpability for her child's actions and continued suffering. She's all about herself, doesn't want to share or compromise, says she has no regrets, seems to take satisfaction when relaying stories or conversations that demonize her eldest son and no feeling around him except defensiveness.
Lies just seep out of her mouth. She talks about integrity, how she has forgiven Paris, how she doesn't want to be a hypocrite. But it's clear she's lying and manipulating him ... and trying to manipulate everyone around her. It's absolutely disgusting.
Charity seems like a total narcissist with a rotation of fatherless golden children. She knows everything. None of the wrongs she has done really matter. "Look at me. Feel bad for me. See how strong and honest I am. Look at my life, the living gravestone of my dead golden child. Observe all I've done and marvel."
And she makes no sense. At 1:15:15 she tries to reinforce the demonization of her son ... retroactively. "I say to people, 'If you don't believe my son is a sociopath, you just wait til he gets out of prison. He has to become a sociopath to survive.'" So... the result of her awful parenting proves her right, indemnifying her? Yeah, no...
At the start of the doc, I liked Charity. But I came to loathe her and her repetitive self-aggrandizement so much I turned it off near the end. I wish I'd done that sooner.
First, she grooms Paris as her little man, the little boy who "saved her life." Then Ella is born, and she takes his place as the most favored child. That would be a stark difference after so long, and it's doubtful that Charity spent much time reinforcing her continuing love of Paris. Instead she just lumped her first child with judgment, neglect and co-parenting responsibilities.
Paris' absentee dad had paranoid schizophrenic symptoms. His mom Charity was off doing coke when he was 12 and Ella was 3, leaving Paris to care for Ella. He ended up in a psych ward around that time. The facility insisted he should remain there, but his mom wouldn't have it. Five or six months later, he killed Ella.
The mom says she has never wanted the dads to be part of her children's lives because she doesn't like to share or compromise. She has cut her son off from his grandma for sending Paris admittedly objectionable reading materials. However the grandma seems to be the one who actually still sees her grandson Paris as a person and is somewhat self-aware. His mom has successfully cut him off from the one adult who cares about him.
The mom is in DEEP denial about her behavior and the toll it takes on those around her. As the documentary progresses, you see more and more that she thinks she is "woke," that she's accountable for her actions, that everyone around her is wrong, that she's the expert... on everything. She's extremely arrogant, defensive, self-focused and manipulative. It seems clear that, given a choice between her children and her, she'll decide in her own favor without a moment's true regret.
She sees herself as a victim and her son as The Perpetrator. She martyrs herself by "allowing contact" between Paris and new child Phoenix... saying "I love you" to Paris... sounding like she's strangling. She says she "forgives" Paris, but rips all his letters in two. That's creepily juvenile and psychotic. She seems much sorrier for herself than for her children.
Even the grandma seems more reflective and prone to try to understand Paris. She does seem inappropriate in terms of material she sends, but she seems to care about her grandson, to see him and hear him, and understand. She doesn't see herself as above him.
The mom fits squarely in clinical description of a narcissist. She is in total denial about her culpability for her child's actions and continued suffering. She's all about herself, doesn't want to share or compromise, says she has no regrets, seems to take satisfaction when relaying stories or conversations that demonize her eldest son and no feeling around him except defensiveness.
Lies just seep out of her mouth. She talks about integrity, how she has forgiven Paris, how she doesn't want to be a hypocrite. But it's clear she's lying and manipulating him ... and trying to manipulate everyone around her. It's absolutely disgusting.
Charity seems like a total narcissist with a rotation of fatherless golden children. She knows everything. None of the wrongs she has done really matter. "Look at me. Feel bad for me. See how strong and honest I am. Look at my life, the living gravestone of my dead golden child. Observe all I've done and marvel."
And she makes no sense. At 1:15:15 she tries to reinforce the demonization of her son ... retroactively. "I say to people, 'If you don't believe my son is a sociopath, you just wait til he gets out of prison. He has to become a sociopath to survive.'" So... the result of her awful parenting proves her right, indemnifying her? Yeah, no...
At the start of the doc, I liked Charity. But I came to loathe her and her repetitive self-aggrandizement so much I turned it off near the end. I wish I'd done that sooner.