“The Watershed” tells the story of the Trunk family. The Trunk family consists of seven children and two very disconnected parents.
The Trunk saga begins in 1958 when up and coming businessman Jack Trunk meets his future wife Paula. After the wedding the young couple buy a house in Long Island and get straight to work on starting a family. Things start off great for the Trunks until Jack’s career crashes and burns.
The family moves to Santa Barbara in a last ditch attempt to salvage Jack’s career but things go from bad to worse after the family reaches California. Paula feels isolated and alone as Jack become more and more emotionally detached from her and the kids. When Jack leaves for another woman Paula becomes a full-blown incapacitated alcoholic and the seven Trunk kids are pretty much left to fend for themselves.
Directed by Mary Trunk, “The Watershed” features moving interviews with family members about the terrible time in their lives when all seemed lost.
This is a sad and involving look at how children many times are wiser and stronger than their parents who are so self-involved they completely lose perspective on just what are their responsibilities as a parent. The fact that the Trunk kids all seem to have not only survived but have also become healthy and emotionally stable adults is a testament to the bond they developed with each through out the turbulent time.
The most moving aspect of this film is that as much as your family can let you down sometimes they are also the ones that can save you.
