Berta, Alma’s childhood friend, is still grappling with the trauma of her past. In Raising Voices, Teresa de Mera plays Berta.
Berta and Alma were best friends when they were younger. They grew apart after Berta experienced a psychotic break and pushed Alma away.
Eventually, Berta left Alma’s school and went to art school. Three years later, during their senior year, their paths cross again, and Berta tries to rekindle their friendship.
A traumatic experience
Berta is extremely friendly and excessively forthcoming. She tries to reconnect with Alma, but Alma, who is dealing with her own problems, is not open to her efforts.
Alma’s attitude toward Berta changes after she meets her in the hospital and learns about her suicide attempt.
It is then that Berta decides to confide in Alma about her past. When Berta was young, her parents divorced, which deeply affected her.
Berta was lonely and vulnerable. She had no one to rely on, and her history teacher took advantage of that.
He comforted her, pretended to understand her situation, and became her confidant. He managed to earn her trust, and that is when the abuse began.
He sexually assaulted Berta, who never told anyone about it, fearing that no one would believe her and would blame her instead.
Although the abuse stopped, Berta never fully recovered from it. It triggered a breakdown, and even changing schools did not help.
Berta is still struggling to cope. She takes therapy but continues to experience anxiety attacks, which is why she has attempted to take her life three times.
Seeking justice for Berta
Once Alma learns about everything Berta has been through, she regrets not being a better friend to her.
Three years ago, Alma had seen Berta with the teacher and had suspected that she was being abused, but she did not know what to do, so she pretended not to notice and started avoiding Berta.
Now, Alma apologizes to Berta, but Berta does not blame her, understanding that Alma was also young at the time.
Alma is determined to support Berta this time. She encourages Berta to report the teacher, but Berta refuses, as she does not want to relive that experience.
However, Alma cannot let the teacher get away with it, so she comes up with the idea of creating a fake account under the name “Coleman Miller”.
Alma plans to share Berta’s story through this account, hoping it will resonate with other girls who may have had similar experiences and that someone will recognize the teacher.
In addition to the account, Alma is willing to take bigger risks to gather evidence against the teacher.
She plans to accept his offer of extra classes after school. Alma attends the classes and records her interactions with the teacher, even though Berta advises her against it.
However, the teacher is always respectful and caring toward Alma, which causes her to question whether she and Berta are doing the right thing.
When she talks to Berta about it, Berta starts believing that Alma has begun to doubt her story. She has a breakdown and takes her own life in front of Alma.
At the same time, the Coleman Miller account gains a large following, and the school faculty discovers that it belongs to Alma, prompting a police investigation.
Alma then learns that Berta was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder long before the abuse began.
Berta had also lied about not telling anyone about the abuse; she previously reported the teacher but dropped the charges later. This revelation convinces Alma of the teacher’s innocence.
However, when she goes to apologize to him, she comes across another one of his victims and discovers that Berta never lied.
Alma, determined to get justice for her friend, exposes the teacher’s crimes and stands up to the authorities until he is arrested.
Also Read: Raising Voices summary and ending explained
