Frederick Wiseman focuses on 'The Spring,' Florida's largest shelter for battered women and children, alongside local police handling domestic violence cases. The film follows intake interviews, counseling sessions, group therapy, anger management classes, staff meetings, and on-site interventions. Moving between bureaucratic procedures and raw emotions, it captures women expressing anger, children confronting trauma, and moments of solidarity. The work illuminates cycles of patriarchal violence and the resilience of those working to break free from these destructive patterns.

 Frederick Wiseman’s Domestic Violence moves between two interconnected settings: the streets of Florida, where police respond to domestic abuse calls, and The Spring, a shelter for women and children. On the streets, we see officers attempting to de-escalate tense situations and document the aftermath of violence. Inside the shelter, Wiseman’s camera records intake interviews, one-on-one counseling, anger management workshops, group therapy, and the day-to-day activities of staff and residents. The narrative unfolds with a dual sense of time—both over the span of weeks or months and as if in a single day’s cycle: beginning before dawn at a crime scene, ending late at night with another incident of violence. 

Physical abuse is never shown directly, yet its presence is unmistakable in the scars, bruises, and wary expressions of the women who arrive at The Spring.

The film’s power lies in its refusal to sensationalize. Through moments of quiet resilience, candid conversations, and the difficult process of rebuilding lives, Domestic Violence finds traces of hope and the possibility of renewal even in the most harrowing circumstances—showing that a fragile refuge can nonetheless be a vital force for change.

• ProducerFrederick WISEMAN
• Cinematography John DAVEY
• Edit Frederick WISEMAN
• Sound Frederick WISEMAN

Zipporah Films​​