sister helen be a superb documentary about a rigid and intolerant and foul mouth and bitter and oblate ( civilian ) nun who run a shelter for drunk and dopers in a very rundown neighborhood in the south bronx . all but one of the 21 resident be gutter drunk or addict . robert and the only middle class representative he have a real job and house and and even a bmw regret she die before he could tell her off . why . robert and like six of the resident and be on parole . he complain that helen wield a huge stick over him and constantly threaten to turn him in if he do not cow tow to her . in an extras interview he say helen run the center to compensate for the death of the three men in her life her husband and her two boy . the husband be an alcoholic who die of a heart attack at 55. one boy die of a heroin overdose and the other be stab to death at 15. helen be leave with one daughter and who she abandon to run the center . the daughter be not pleased . she want her momwhat fascinate be how little helen change . outwardly it seem she make a huge sea change . but after see this riveting and disturb video a few time once with the director narrate it become clear that helen substitute 21 male addict to boss around to replace her three dead male . helen admit she ignore her kid and spent every day in bar . but her bossiness and intolerance and and sharp tongue do not emerge at age 56. living with her must have be extremely difficult . even robert say he stay clean in spite of helen . the film open with helen abusively demean a man who want to live at the shelter . supposedly she be show off her street savvy . another time she publicly demean mel and her assistant for not bath for a year . then she wave his filthy pillowcase in the air . the film be viscous with helen threatening and demeaning people . her signature song be my way . her favorite phrase be and i be go to be totally honest with you . often and people who use such phrase and turn out o be the opposite . the resident be really down and out . only robert have any marketable skill beyond push a broom . they all desperately need a roof over their head and and helen and since she run the place on her own and have the power to admit or evict whoever she please . she have no govern board to answer to and get no public funding . it be her show . helen believe in the cookie approach to sobriety . she stop drink cold turkey and that mean everyone else can too . she blame substance abuse on the drug or booze and and not the underlie issue that drive the men to drink and drug . she no therapist and just a landlady who dye her hair and wear a habit and and wields complete power over her tenant and and stop drink . helen also lord it over her inmate by demand urine ( ureen she call it ) test on request . twice major and a very solid and respect long term old resident who she trust fail his test . helen be furious and evict him . major stand his ground and say the result be wrong because he never do heroin . helen do not yield and fail to consider a mistake could have be make . this be especially trouble since she know major for a long time . yet she discount her relationship with him and assume he be a liar and and rely completely on the result . major eventually discover the codeine in his cough syrup show up a an opiate . helen never apologize publicly and but supposedly make up with major privately . helen also have a very tainted reputation in her old neighborhood . she tacitly admit to robert she once stay up very late one night to slash someone tire . the person wrong her and certainly deserve to have his or her tire slash . she be not a nice woman . so eventually and she decide the only way to keep the travis name ( her last name ) alive since the three male travises die be to start the travis center . for some of the resident it be a great deal . they comply with helen and in exchange receive a cheap and safe and sober and and structure place to live . one however and say he prefer jail . addict and drunk do not all need to be treat like child . helen employed old school technique which have be discredit . however and no one be force to remain at the center and for some and it be definitely a positive experience . the travis center be not a treatment center . it be a residence for alcoholic and dopers who what to straighten out their life . to receive the full sister helen experience and see all the extra interview plus the audio version in which the two director share their experience live with sister helen and her guest .