Regardless of race or class, Mo'Nique says this is a movie everyone needs to experience. "It's so important because it's so honest," she says. "[This abuse is] happening every day. And we keep wanting to sweep it under the carpet and act like it doesn't exist."

The movie can also help end the cycle of abuse, Mo'Nique says. After a screening and a Q&A with the cast, Mo'Nique says she was approached by an Asian man. "He had tears in his eyes," she says. "He said, 'I am Mary Jones. I was Mary Jones to my brother and my sister,'" she says.

Mo'Nique says she hugged the sobbing man. "I said to him: 'Congratulations for being honest enough to say it. Now go get you some help,'" she says. "I'm proud and I'm excited for people to get to know these people onscreen because they may be looking at themselves."