Wednesday Nights
SYNOPSIS
"If you want to find a man, just go to any restaurant on Wednesday Night. All the divorced, single dads are there with their kids for dinner – it’s Wednesday Night!"
When couples who have children split up, there is a standard arrangement for child care. The kids live with one parent, and then visit the other every other weekend, and Wednesday Nights. As the divorce rate is now greater than 50%, for many of us, Wednesday Nights are a beacon of hope, joy, trepidation, relief, and regret.
It is the night when parents must face their ex’s and their failed marriage. Its when they learn to negotiate their joint responsibility as parents in the midst of hurt feelings sadness and anger. And after this process of handing over the children, each goes off to face their now, separate lives.
For the parent with the night off it is "Date night" if they are in the market, or a night out with the girls, and sometimes just a night to collapse and lick their wounds. Quiet time, to think about how to rebuild their lives.
The other half, the parent with the kids there is a relationship with their children – How to be a part time mom or dad. Face the effects that the divorce has had on their children, often demonstrated in bad behavior. They try on their roll as a single care giver or carefully negotiate the difficult relationships with new or potential step parents.
"Wednesday Nights’ gives us a glimpse of how people are creating this new model of family and how they are dealing with their lifelong plans going awry . It shows us the view from both sides, and that of the middle – the children. Once you have a look you will never think of Wednesday Nights quite the same way again.
FORMAT
1 x 60 minutes
CREDITS
Directors: Karen MacKenna and Stefan Randström
Writers: Martha Mason and Andrea Nemtin
Editor: Mark Stokes
Director of Photography: Stefan Randström
Composer: Kurt Swinghammer