Scene Magazine,
Donald D'Haene: from book to film
By Jason Rip
Earlier this year, I read Father's Touch, Donald D'Haene's harrowing account of the years of sexual abuse he and his siblings endured as children. I found this "anthem to doomed youth" to be a visceral and emotional literary experience. There are many unforgettable sections that describe not only the dark and manipulative powers of a pedophile but the perplexing apathy of the community even after they are made clearly aware of this man's crimes.
The "slap on the wrist" sentence doled out by the justice system near the book's conclusion can only be described as sickening.
Producer/director Louise Fagan helped to initiate the Father's Touch film project: a series of flashbacks that seize the central protagonist (the adult D'Haene) while he traverses the country roads of his childhood. D'Haene's parents are played by Paul Meyers and Deborah Mitchell.
Myers said it was very difficult to temporarily inhabit the skin of the senior Mr. D'Haene:
"Playing a malevolent, selfish man, who lacked any insight or compassion, drove me to a new dark place I had never explored before. The irony of filming the piece on Father's Day was not lost on me." Father's Touch is currently in the editing process with plans to have it ready for a late Fall screening.
In spite of everything, D'Haene seems like a man who is remarkably unencumbered with the baggage of the past. He describes his approach to life as "healthily selfish." I recall a remark D'Haene made during out interview regarding the fact that he is an insatiable coffee hound, a habit he believes is a sub-conscious reaction to the fact that his father's household had an arbitrary ban on the bean.
A strong component of his life's work is a desire to "humanize the victims" of sexual abuse - to show that they're not always passive innocents - that they have flaws and foibles like anyone else. He regularly tells his story at Children's Aid Society conferences and has contributed a chapter to the compilation Childhood: It Should Not Hurt! In January, the W Network will air an episode of their documentary series Family Secrets based on the D'Haene family. It's title - When Nobody's Looking.
Although he refers to his father as "pure evil" and has had no contact with him for decades, Father's Touch refrains from painting the portrait of a fiend. There is self-pity, sporadic avowals to stop the abuse, and many signs of abject weakness in the book's problematic patriarch. In many ways, the humanity of the monster was the most disturbing part of all.
To conclude with D'Haene's words: "The demon is a constant reminder of my resilince and my will to live."
For more info., visit the author's web site: http://www.fatherstouch.com