Local filmmaker depicts harsh reality of Toledo sex worker

   This time, there’s no Richard Gere to save the day.
   Athena, a sobering new documentary from local filmmaker Nicole Tarver, explores the life of a former Toledo sex worker struggling to put her life back together. And it ain’t pretty.
   “This is a story that needed to be told,” said Tarver, who began her career as a social worker before pursuing filmmaking as an occupation. “As a social worker, I spent years trying to help women maneuver through the system. But I knew there were lots of women who were overlooked and ignored, and I knew I had to give this woman a voice.”
   ‘This woman’ refers to Athena, a homeless ex-prostitute in Toledo who is living in a shelter and trying to piece her life back together. In addition to having to fight against the stigma as a former worker in the sex trade, she is also struggling to regain custody of her two kids—a decidedly uphill battle. The 20-minute film chronicles eight months of Athena’s life, and the film’s unflinching, nonjudgmental approach has earned Tarver lots of praise as well as some criticism.
   “Response to the film has been extraordinarily positive, but some people—mostly social workers—have become angry about the film because Athena makes choices that they really disagree with,” said Tarver. “But at the time she made them, she believed they were the right choices to help her kids. Sometimes the choices we make are about surviving any way we can.”
   As Athena battles the legal system and struggles to find work and permanent shelter, she develops a relationship with a new boyfriend, who also has a questionable past.
   “This is a woman who has an incredible capacity for love,” said Tarver. “People have a need to feel loved and no one should ever be denied that.” The new boyfriend plot thread struck an uneasy chord with some people who have viewed the film, since his criminal past doesn’t exactly give the film a “Pretty Woman” feeling.
   “I refused to cut that scene because women are faced with these kinds of situations every day. It’s life. It is what it is.”
   Tarver’s own story is just as riveting as Athena’s. The granddaughter of the late Toledo jazz musician Smiley Robinson, Tarver’s love of film and storytelling began at an early age. She often drove to Ann Arbor to watch art films by directors such as Francois Truffaut and John Cassavetes. Wanting to make a difference in the lives of society’s downtrodden, she earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Toledo. But her love of film craft never left, leading her to travel to Detroit to study film with the Detroit Film Center and improvisation with Second City.
   “I was living a double life—social worker by day, filmmaker by night.”
   In 2006, after deciding “I had nothing to lose,” Carver moved to New York City, and studied film at City College, where she earned her master’s degree. After meeting Athena in 2007, she began documenting her story. Since editing the film, Tarver has screened the film all over the country at locations ranging from film festivals to bookstores to churches and synagogues. While Tarver is entertaining distribution offers from various film companies, she enjoys screening the film herself because of the chance to discuss the issues presented in the film with the audience.
   “I wanted this film to spark dialogue about motherhood and the shifting family dynamic,” said Tarver. “I am happy I made this film and I’m glad that it’s getting people talking.”
   The Collingwood Art Center shows Athena on Friday, February 12 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.athenathefilm.com.