Gardens of the Night (2008)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Damian Harris

Writer (WGA):

Damian Harris (written by)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

After being abducted as children, and suffering years of abuse, a teenage boy and girl find themselves living on the street.

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Holding Hands | Cross Dressing | Ambiguous Ending | Prostitution

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Gillian Jacobs	...	Leslie
John Malkovich	...	Michael
Ryan Simpkins	...	Young Leslie
Tom Arnold	...	Alex
Kevin Zegers	...	Frank
Jermaine Scooter Smith	...	Young Donnie
Harold Perrineau	...	Orlando
Jeremy Sisto	...	Jimmy
Raynold Gideon	...	Judge Feeney
Cornelia Guest	...	Mrs. Feeney
Natalie May	...	Judge's Daughter
Ben Lin	...	Pa
Alice Lo	...	Ma
Evan Ross	...	Donnie
Landall Goolsby	...	Blackberry John

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing content involving sexual exploitation of a child, language, sexual content and some drug use.

Runtime:

Germany:110 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Station3

Quotes:

Young Leslie: [first lines - reading] The marsh ended in a broad plain where the light twinkled. It was a long time since Mowgli had concerned himself with the doings of men. "I will look", he said, "and I will see how far the Man-Pack has changed." The door of the hut opened, and a woman stood peering into the darkness. "Who calls?", said the woman, a quiver in her voice. "Have you forgotten?", said Mowgli. His throat was dry as he spoke.

A little masterpiece

Relentlessly raw, authentic and sad: I hope that description doesn't drive you away because it is also brilliantly directed and intensely human, and there is a loving relationship at the center that lights it all up like the sun. A scene in an arcade where the two main characters are doing Dance Dance Revolution together had me weeping. Catch this one, however you can.

IMDb says I have to add more lines so I'll say that the casting is as good as casting gets -- one character after another is blazingly real. And the cameo by Malkovich does not feel like a gimmick: he's a genius, and therefore always welcome.