Both sides of the Coin is a story of two men’s lives, one a victim of violent sexual abuse, and the other, a child molester. Hard hitting and graphic, Both Sides of the Coin takes the viewer inside the shame and secrecy to reveal the reality of child sexual abuse. Both Sides of the Coin tells the unspeakable story of men who were abused as children and the men who abused them.

What is child abuse? How does the victim cope with sexual assault both as a child and later as an adult? Who is a child abuser? Why would a man turn to children to satisfy his intimacy needs? How cha we protect our children from falling victim to child abuse?

Jim Mandelin, an abuse counselor in private practice, brings to the screen a unique insight into the world of the victim. By offering his own childhood as an example. Jim tells a victim’s story of abuse in a forthright, yet poignant manner that touches all who hears him. From his earliest memories Jim was raped and terrorized by his father, by his uncle and by his aunt. At 15, Jim ran away from home and became a street kid in Vancouver. He later became a biker, a violent alcoholic, whose rages terrorized all those around him. After hitting Bottom he joined A.A. and started on the road of recovery. But it was many years before he could face and come to terms with the abuse he suffered as a child.

Childhood for Graham Cook was a world of neglect, abuse, and loneliness where he learned early that adults could not be trusted and only children were “safe”. By the time Graham reached puberty he was well on his way to becoming a pedophile. Graham built a successful career in the theatre but because he could not relate or trust adults he turned to children to satisfy his intimacy needs. Since his release from prison Graham has dedicated himself to changing his ways. In frank and revealing interviews Graham leads the viewer inside the pedophile’s world and gives a new perspective to the age-old question of why some men molest children.