Jamill Jones is not only a producer, screenwriter, and playwright— he’s also therapist who has seen the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and lifelong effects it has on people. Now, he’s using film to bring more awareness to this stigmatized and often hidden issue. We spoke to Jones about his new film, All I’m Worth, which captures the trauma of childhood sexual abuse by following the stories of three teens.
Trigger Warning: This post contains descriptions of sexual violence and abuse.
Jones began his career in the arts as a playwright. It was 2014, and he wanted to teach his children about the brave, influential African Americans they weren’t learning about in school. That’s when his company Pleasant Life Productions was born. His first play was titled Nat—a biographical story of Nat Turner, the Virginia slave who led a rebellion in 1831. His second stage production, To Death – A Mother’s Love, also told the story of a rebellious slave.
In his most recent project, Jones has moved from stage to screen. He wrote and produced the new film, All I’m Worth, with similar goals in mind— to educate, entertain, and enlighten audiences about difficult issues. This time, that difficult issue is sexual abuse. Jones says that, after working for years as a family counselor, he is no stranger to the harm and ubiquity of child sexual abuse. “Being a therapist, sexual abuse is something that a lot of my clients experience.” This new film is a gritty, raw portrait of the effects of abuse on young people’s development and relationships.
In the film, the viewer follows the stories of three teens — Nicole, Kyle, and Ashley —whose experiences with sexual abuse bring them together in group therapy. The protagonist, Nicole, is molested by her mother’s boyfriend, Charlie, when she is a child. Charlie is then incarcerated for an unrelated crime, but continues to abuse the now 16 year-old after his release. Nicole feels such guilt and shame that she hides the abuse, blaming herself and attempting to heal through therapy.
Kyle is a young, gay man, living with his aunt and uncle after his parents disown him because of his sexual orientation. He is struggling to be himself in a household, school, and community that often does not accept him. We follow him as he copes with the trauma of being raped by a family friend — a man who often mocked and questioned Kyle’s homosexuality. Lastly, we follow Ashley, a 16 year-old who is preyed upon by a much older, married man.
“I have a son that’s 12 and a daughter that’s 8, and all I see is innocence. And when I look at them and then look at myself—at my own history— I see that I was robbed of that innocence. I think of how many other people were robbed like that and don’t have a platform and don’t have a voice. With this film, I want to confront it head on.”
I talked with Jones about his inspiration for telling these three stories. He said that it was important to him to address misconceptions about sexual abuse—namely that abusers are strangers. According to RAINN, 7 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. Jones commented, “Sexual abuse is not always someone holding you down or lurking in the bushes. It usually happens by someone close to home, someone that you trust. The statistics show that abuse is primarily committed by known, trusted adults and family members. Changing that misconception is a big part of why I wrote All I’m Worth.”
Jones says it was also important to him to tell the story of a young, gay man experiencing abuse. LGBTQ individuals, as a community, face higher rates of poverty, stigma, and violence, which puts them at higher risk for sexual assault. Sexual assault is extremely damaging to the health and wellbeing of ALL victims, including those in the LGBTQ community, and many survivors face the additional challenge of finding LGBTQ-affirming resources in the wake of abuse. Jones also says that it was important to him that Kyle’s character was an openly gay teenager at the time of his abuse. He wanted to remind viewers that sexual abuse does not influence sexual orientation—another misconception that harms the LGBTQ community.
GET A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT ALL I’M WORTH
With All I’m Worth, Jones says he hopes to give a voice and a platform to survivors. As someone who experienced sexual abuse as a child himself, and has witnessed its effects on adults and children through his counseling, he understands how necessary these messages are.
“I have a son that’s 12 and a daughter that’s 8, and all I see is innocence. And when I look at them and then look at myself—at my own history— I see that I was robbed of that innocence. I think of how many other people were robbed like that and don’t have a platform and don’t have a voice. With this film, I want to confront it head on.”
All I’m Worth will be airing at the LA Film Festival from September 20-28. To catch the full film, follow Pleasant Life Productions on Instagram, Facebook, and on their website.
If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or access the online hotline here. The Anti-Violence Project, which serves members of the LGBTQ community can be reached at 212-714-1124. FORGE serves transgender and gender nonconforming survivors of domestic and sexual violence. 1in6 is an organization serving male survivors of abuse and assault.