Augusta, Gone
| Augusta, Gone | |
|---|---|
| Written by | H. Haeden Yelin (teleplay) Martha Tod Dudman (book) |
| Directed by | Tim Matheson |
| Starring |
Mika Boorem Sharon Lawrence Tim Matheson Tamara Hope |
| Composer(s) | Don Davis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Lifetime Television |
| Original release |
|
Augusta, Gone is a 2006 Lifetime Television film directed by Tim Matheson and starring Mika Boorem, Sharon Lawrence and Tamara Hope. It is based on the memoir of the same name by Martha Tod Dudman.
The film was shot in Victoria, British Columbia.
The film dramatically opens with a voice-over from Augusta (Mika Boorem)'s mother Martha (Sharon Lawrence), in which she states that her daughter was once a sweet girl who had the ability to paint beautiful pictures and loved everybody. In fact, later on in the film, Augusta is described as a 'strong, creative, kind and magnificent person' by her mother. This description is in dissonance to the condition in which Augusta's parents find their daughter at a local party. Her parents realize that they need to take drastic and immediate action when they find Augusta in a drug-induced euphoric state. The problem is, however, they are unsure as to how to proceed. Upon their arrival at home, Augusta seems contrite and willing to make amends. However, her mood abruptly switches when Martha and her husband, Ben (Tim Matheson) attempts to address the situation. When an explosive fight ensues, culminating in Augusta pointing a butcher knife at her parents and later at herself, she begins screaming in a threatening manner: "It's my life! It's my life!"
The movie then cuts to one year earlier with a 14-year-old Augusta worrying about her weight and what her classmates think of her. Owing to the camera angles, it appears that Augusta has a significantly distorted view of herself and is exceptionally dissatisfied with the image that she sees in the mirror. On face value, Augusta appears to be a good-spirited young artist who is slightly perturbed by the fact that although her mother is speaking to her, her mother fails to notice "how fat" her daughter has become. Martha is a divorced businesswoman who appears to have had a good relationship with her daughter.
Underneath the surface, Augusta is very insecure and despises herself. For example, she is overly concerned with her weight and strives to perform well in school. She becomes very anxious when she does not attain perfection and worries about receiving excellent grades in school. Augusta's life becomes complicated and takes a turn for the worse when she becomes friends with Rain (Tamara Hope), the local "bad girl". Augusta then attempts to impress Rain by doing stuff that she would not otherwise do, such as smoking cigarettes. Augusta then adopts a blasé attitude towards her schoolwork, her family, her old friends and her own well-being. Her self-destructive ways cause her life to spiral out of control.
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