Evelyn also remembered that she had been much dreamier
as a child and received much criticism from her mother. In the
meantime, she had become significantly more balanced.
Suddenly it all made sense to her. Evelyn had held on to a neg-
ative view of herself that no longer applied to her. This is an
example of a perceived shortcoming, as opposed to a real
shortcoming.
Her response to the character Claire and the following
process made her aware that she needed to work on this nega-
tive perspective of herself, her inner critic.
Eric identified and was critical of the character Claire for a
different reason. He understood that it was important for the
healthy development of his teenage daughter that he support
this young woman in her need for independence. Eric struggled
within himself. He did not want to let go of his “little girl.”
Sometimes he was unnecessarily rigid with curfews and other
rules around the house. Even though he felt that this was com-
ing from his love for his daughter, he also acknowledged that
he was struggling with a realshortcoming. After discussing
this with the group, Eric understood that his love made him so
overly attached that it stifled his daughter. His response to
Claire and the succeeding group process made him aware that
he needed to work on this.Exercise 2: Acknowledging Your Perceived and
Real Shortcomings
Again, revisit your own Film Matrix. This time look
at Quadrant II and the negative qualities you saw in
a character with whom you identified. Take some
slow deep breaths and listen inwardly. Describe how
these attributes remind you of yourself. Write down
situations you remember when you experienced
these shortcomings. Do this for every shortcoming
you mentioned.
Once more, go back over what you wrote. Which
of the problem areas you just described seem to be140 E-Motion Picture Magic