In a midwestern US state caught between the opioid epidemic and rising incarceration of women, three unforgettable mothers – Tomika, Lydia, and Amanda – prepare to rejoin their families after years of separation. With the number of women in the US prison system increasing at double the rate of men, mothers are now the fastest-growing population in the criminal justice system. With the help of a unique re-entry program run by Malika, an advocate formerly incarcerated in the same prison, the women lean on each other to find the tools and resiliency needed to rebuild their lives and relationships with their children. In Apart we bear witness to how familial love and courage combat the inter-generational trauma caused by the war on drugs.
“Breaking that cycle of addiction is what I think about every single day. I want Tyler [my son] to know that he doesn’t have to live how I lived, and my mom lived, and all of his aunts and uncles live. I want him to know that there is a world outside of that.”
– Amanda, film participant, Apart
