Real Life Divorce Stories

Viewers in Australia are getting their first look at real divorce cases, and it’s not pretty. Here’s the story from The Age. Unlike primarily entertainment programs like the U.S. Divorce Court, which serve up arguments carefully chosen to keep the pace fast and the tone light, the Australian documentary series “Divorce Stories” allows viewers full access to the anguish, the embarrassment, and the heartache of divorce in Australia.

The filmmakers had unprecdedented access to the Australian Family Court and the Federal Magistrates Court. The series identifies court staff and judges but conceals the identity of the actual litigants. Said the producer, “95 per cent of Australians resolve their differences without resorting to the courts, but for the 5 per cent whose disagreements end up in the legal system, the journey is emotionally and financially fraught.”