Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 23:02:51

Had to comment after reading other reviews

Only my second time commenting on Amazon, but after unexpectedly turning on this movie, I just had to set the record straight on this very depressing yet impossible to look away movie.First of all, this is an incredibly well done, even if disturbing film. As another reviewer wrote, "what you don't see is the most disturbing." Secondly, without ruining the ending, I believe there are few unanswered questions. The film shows you how the protagonists part ways with Alex and Frank, and the final scene hints at what the future holds for Leslie and Donnie. However, any truly unanswered questions might be intentional. The story fast forwards a few years, but what happened during those years is irrelevant after watching the first half of the movie; you know how they lived their lives for so many years leading up to that point.As another reviewer said, it would be difficult to re-watch, but a powerful story nonetheless. Ryan Simpkins did an amazing job playing young Leslie.

2012-05-25 01:31:55

Gardens of the Night

This movie was done very well. It opens your eyes to the adverse effect that young kids go through who are abducted from their family and friends. Children are not as tune to deception of people that they are easily persuaded by strangers to follow them. All parents should take the time and talk to their kids. Everyone is a stranger and be careful if it is someone you don't know that is trying to be nice to you. All of the actors in this movie did an excellent job.

caroline brooman-white 2012-05-16 13:13:19

I cannot stop thinking about it

A truly outstanding movie touching on sensitive material. It is beautifully filmed especially the way that the first half is filmed from the little girl's perspective. I was very impressed with Tom Arnold's performance - I actually didn't recognize him to start with. All the acting is superb - the little girl deserves an oscar.

2012-05-16 05:38:48

Poor quality dvd Gardens of the night

This review is from: Gardens of the Night (DVD) Disc was very badly scratched, and covered in finger prints.Movie jumped alot due to the deep scratches i understood item was second hand and in good condition this was not the case i'm not happy i feel i have been ripped off avoid seller if this the quality they are selling there products at......

2012-05-13 06:22:59

I want to believe that something like this isn't really happening...

...in this world, but it is. The acting in this movie is phenomenal all around, especially the kids. Despite the sad and depressing subject matter the cinematography is beautiful and masterfully lit. If you're looking for a Hollywood movie then this is definitely not it. Move on. But if you love great and genuine movie making that comes from a true passion to tell a real story, and isn't just fluff and superficial nonsense, then you will find that and more in this movie.By the way, these traffickers of children as sex slaves should get the death penalty. No mercy.

hnballet 2012-05-12 20:34:54

Who's exploiting who?

This subject matter deserves a much better script, and final result,than this movie serves up. The script is full of holes because it wasnever conceived as a story, but rather a string of nightmare scenariosloosely knitted together. The gaps and loose ends in the story line arenumerous. The scene where the kidnap victim is told that her parentsare not dead, and have been looking for her since she was taken, isjust bizarre. It is written as a cathartic therapy moment with the headof the shelter for runaways handing her a "missing poster" from whenshe was eight. In the real world, if the head of a shelter for runawaysfound out that he had, under his roof, a solved kidnapping, what wouldhave followed would have been an immediate call to the police. It's alaw enforcement issue not a 12 minute segment for Oprah. Everythingthat follows from there to the end is so short shrift that I can onlyconclude that the first 90 minutes was for pure gratuitousexploitation. Funny, that's what this movie is supposed to becondemning. In the end it seems to have joined in.

2012-05-11 09:31:19

movie with a lesson

This review is from: Gardens of the Night (Amazon Instant Video) shows how naive children can be.a child sex offender preying on children. I thought it was excellent and should have had more publicity.

teresa h 2012-05-10 21:38:05

True to heart breaking

The trailer is hard to watch because. This type of evil happens everyday.I know this had to be a very dificult movie to direct and star in. But the gritty truth needs to be told.To stop it.

dcfemella 2012-05-06 00:53:02

Every Parent Should Watch This Movie

"Gardens of the Night" is about two children, Leslie and Donnie,kidnapped by two men and their lives together. It's directed bynewcomer Damian Harris who based his story on the kids, counselors,police officers, and pimps that he met during his two years ofresearch. His years of perfecting the story was seen in how well madethis movie was. As a parent, I felt the pain of what would happen if mychild was taken and having to endure the horrors that these childrendid for over nine years. After they get too old, they are dumped bytheir captors and left to fend for themselves. The actors did an amazing job bringing this script to life. The twochildren, Rayn Simpkins and Jermaine Scooter Smith, who play the youngLeslie and Donnie really showed the pain that children who have dealtwith this probably felt. I was impressed on how well they did for beingso young. I was glad that they didn't get too graphic on the parts whenthe children had to do deal with pedophiles because I probably wouldhave nightmares for awhile thinking about how this really happens everyday. The director was able to make his point across without showing toomuch. Some other directors would have gone for the shock factor, so Iam glad that he was smart enough to realize that he would have lost hisaudience doing that. The cinematography was great because it didn't look like it was made ina fancy studio. It gave the feel like you were actually there with themthroughout the entire ordeal. I also like how they show how this isusually a vicious cycle that occurs and that it usually doesn't justend. You expect a big, happy ending where everything is perfect at theend, and I am glad that he kept it realistic. Every parent should watchthis. Even if you aren't a parent, you probably should. It will makeyou think twice about what to do if you see a sad child, who doesn'tseem like he/she belongs with that adult, looking at you with helplesseyes.

2012-05-05 18:51:01

great movie, but leaves questions unanswered

I gave this movie 5 stars because of the phenomenal acting. You will cry when you watch it. It's the type of film that is very difficult to watch, but you can't stop watching it. The questions I have are: What happened to Alex and Frank and how did Leslie and Donnie get away from them? Does Leslie ever find Donnie? And it would have been nice to see Leslie and Donnie's lives as adults. Despite the lack of details, it was a great independent movie. I'm not sure it's worth buying, because you will most likely only watch it once.

2012-04-29 11:42:28

Gardens of the Night

This review is from: Gardens of the Night (DVD) This movie was done very well. It opens your eyes to the adverse effect that young kids go through who are abducted from their family and friends. Children are not as tune to deception of people that they are easily persuaded by strangers to follow them. All parents should take the time and talk to their kids. Everyone is a stranger and be careful if it is someone you don't know that is trying to be nice to you. All of the actors in this movie did an excellent job.

PeachHamBeach 2012-04-28 19:37:43

A beautiful, high quality film and an important wake-up call...

This film is so many things, but above all a labor of love. It's abouta subject that is upsetting, disturbing, horrifying, and reallyhappening all over our world. Evil is real and evil does not care whoit hurts or destroys. Child sexual abuse and exploitation are horrible,destructive crimes that needs to be addressed. I thank Damian Harrisfor this film, a beautiful portrait of the children who are beingdestroyed by this evil, and a wake-up call for anyone who cares to opentheir ears. It leaves you wishing you knew how to stop the evil andhelp the children. It left me very upset and angry and saddened.Aesthetically, it is superbly filmed, beautifully acted, directed, andwritten. It has all the earmarks of any favorite to have made it toOscar night, but it got the short shrift somehow. Tom Arnold deservesan Oscar for his work as Alex. Unfortunately, pedophiles and rapistsand pornographers do not wear black hoods and capes. They look likeeveryone, and this particular man, while we know him as the story'svillain who sets the stage for evil and degradation, is very human. Yousee his pathetic side even as he drugs the children and films himselfhaving sex with them. Evil isn't black and shadowy. Evil is a friendlyface asking you to help find their dog.I was also very moved and impressed by the performances of Kevin Zegers(mostly in deleted scenes on the DVD!!!) as Alex's cohort, verypossibly an older victim of Alex's, and Ryan Simpkins and JermaineScooter Smith as Leslie and Donnie, the young children who areexploited. To escape their nightmarish world of being raped bystrangers in front of a camera, making videos that will surely bepassed around in the perverts' underworld, the two children beginreading from Rudyard Kipling's THE JUNGLE BOOK, and creating a worldthat they don't have to share with anyone.But unlike many of the critiques I have read, I was even MORE moved bythe performances of Evan Ross and Gillian Jacobs as the same childrenyears later. Their damage is evident without being melodramatic. Theirbond, part romantic, part familial, is touching without resorting tosentiment. Jacobs' performance has been criticized, and her appearancedescribed as "too pretty" to be a street person. However, if you payattention to her eyes, in some scenes sad and soft, in others,hard-edged and "old", you see the whole horrible story. Part I of thestory is about the damage being inflicted, and that's important, butPart II is important as well, as it is about what these children becomeafter someone has used them and tossed them away like rubbish.I believe the most important segment of the film is when the scum-bagpimp asks Leslie to help him get his hands on a 12 year old girlstaying in a children's' shelter. Has the evil destroyed Leslie sototally that she will do the very same evil deeds as the men whovictimized her? Also in the cast are John Malkovich as a strict butcaring counselor in the shelter, Jeremy Sisto as a pornographer/pimpwho supplies children to affluent pedophiles, Kyle Gallner as a maleprostitute, and Harold Perrineau as one of those kind of pedophilesyou've heard arguing that "sex with children is natural, wholesome,good..." Anything to avoid admitting their sick, destructiveperversion.There comes a time when Leslie is told that her parents did not giveher away, that they have been searching for her for years. The endingis sad and leaves you almost in tears. Her original family is no longerher "family". They are simply strangers. It's such a heartbreak torealize that she cannot ever feel at home with them ever again, thather life with them has been altered forever.Her one true friend, Donnie, is out there somewhere, the only one shewill ever feel "family" about. I was hoping that in the end, we'd seethem reunited, but who knows what happened to either of them.This is definitely not a feel good movie, but it is a very beautifulstory and film. You may not be able to watch it more than once, butanyone who has a child ought to at least do so.

2012-04-28 01:59:17

Gardens of the Night - A Review

This review is from: Gardens of the Night (DVD) The movie was well done, although disturbing. Ryan Simpkins, Gillian Jacobs, Jermaine Scooter Smith, Kevin Zegers, and Tom Arnold were excellent in their various roles. This is one of those films I believe every parent and therapist should see with time set aside after watching for returning to normal. The first half of the movie surpassed the second half, although terrifying for any parent of young children due to the content. The movie is one of those that comes along every so often that can easily twist and wrench one's heart as one sees the abhorrent result of child abduction and defilement. The director's comments do help in clarifying some aspects of the film.

2012-04-27 04:21:03

Must see film if you deal with victms or offenders and cyber porn

This review is from: Gardens of the Night (DVD) Very painful film, but with large amounts of processing material with your victim clients or offender clients. I am a psychotherapist and found this film to show how the pain of molest may be long and hard to deal with. For my offender clients they are able to feel empathy for the kids and their victims.

Rjones714 2012-04-27 08:39:58

Importance of preventative education

The subject of abduction & molestation is a hard truth. Attention isthe key to prevention and education is the key. Support the AmberWatchFoundation whose mission it to provide education and tools to parentsand children on how to stay safe from abduction and molestation. Movieslike this help drive home the importance of this mission. Applaud thefilm makers and actors in this film! The performances are so real, thisis what happens. Seeing the affect on the victims is compelling andtrue - if only the victims had known how to avoid abduction this wouldnot have happened. It shows how many lives are touched and changedforever by one single act. I encourage everyone to see this movie andtake advantage of any preventative tool you can get to safeguard yourloved ones from a similar fate.

2012-04-26 12:38:08

True gem of a film

This review is from: Gardens of the Night (DVD) Gardens of the Night is a work of art. The actors were well cast and the script is one of a kind.I love when films make the viewer uncomfortable. This one gets up close and personal. There's no doubt.The ending is understated and clever. When you thought that Leslie had found home sweet home and would begin a new life, reality is there to slap you. Instead, she feels alienated from the "safe" world she once knew with her parents. She's too far and tired to take a shot at a "well-regarded" kind of life and makes her way to find the one who has been "there" with her and for her.5 stars.

kosmasp 2012-04-23 12:34:26

Tough

This movie is really tough and some people have or had problems withit's themes (check the synopsis if you have no problem with a bit of aspoiler), but I love it for being so bold and not shying away fromtaking any punches.The performances are central to this movie and although they are mostlydark (you haven't seen Tom Arnold like this before) and you don'treally fee like they are likable, you get that the circumstances madethem the way they are. Either you take them as they are and thedecisions they make or you won't like it at all. A feel good movie thisain't ...

2012-04-22 20:48:17

I'm still reeling from watching this...

GARDENS OF THE NIGHT starts out in this picture perfect neighborhood, as seven year old Leslie walks by herself to school. Alex (played by Tom Arnold) approaches her and asks her to help him find his dog, Trixie. Because he knows how to manipulate and ask the right questions, he gets Leslie to believe that not only does he know her dad, but he is actually Alex's boss. His plan seems to work, because he is able to get her to trust him enough to drop her off at school. Hours later, he is accompanied by Frank (who would appear to be his son) and as she is leaving school, they tell her that her dad has an "emergency," and makes her come with them. She appears to be drugged by the soda that she drinks, because she then sleeps for hours on end. They take her to a house, where she meets Donnie, who appears to be in the same situation that she is in. This movie is very difficult to watch, as it deals with kidnapping and child prostitution. My skin was crawling as I watched Jimmy (played by Jeremy Sisto) giving Alex a photo album to look through, containing pictures of hundreds of solicited children. He explains that the client may come to them, or the child may have to fly to another part of the country, in which he would go with the child. The only light at the end of the tunnel for Leslie is that she and Donnie become connected in a way that they love and take care of each other. They agree to meet in a special place if they are ever separated from each other.As they get older, you see that they are still together, but their lives are rough, and you wonder if they will ever find their families, or any kind of happiness again. I cried a lot while watching this, especially at the end.Though the movie is well edited, sometimes it's a little too close for comfort. There are also a lot of unanswered questions. But, emotions run high and I had a difficult time tearing my eyes away from the screen. Recommended!

2012-04-22 22:30:40

Wow.

This movie is a difficult but riveting watch. It's not often you find a movie that you can FEEL through the emotions of the actors, and even more rare to be sucked in by an actress all of 8 years old.The first part of the movie dealt with the abduction and subsequent lives of two young children in a ring of sex slavery. This was by far the most powerful part of the movie for me. The young girl that played the part of Leslie blew me away. The older girl that played her in the latter part of the movie couldn't measure up.I gave this movie 4 stars on the strength of the emotion it contained, and the incredible acting in the first half. I 'only' gave this movie 4 stars because the second half was weaker in acting and in story line. There are a lot of holes in this story - too many unanswered questions.I wholeheartedly recommend this movie for adults, but the content is too extreme for children. Even though there is absolutely no graphic depiction of what is happening whatsoever. It's what you don't see that is the most disturbing.

2012-04-22 03:01:04

great movie

Gardens of the Night is a film that deals with the unfortunate circumstance involving a little girl going to school who happens to be the victim of a man who decides to kidnap her. There's a sad kind of build up that happens in the kidnapping process that shows what's about to happen to the girl as soon as she makes the choice to get inside that car. This of course, changes the girls life drastically, because she's too small to run away from the guy for fear of her life (even though the guy acted very polite towards the girl and treated her like he would his own daughter, he definitely had his issues obviously) and she's too small to do anything other than cry, be afraid, and feel a dreaded sense of uncertainty.Now the poor girl has to live with the guy who kidnapped her along with another man who had a serious attitude problem. I think the other man was someone who was kidnapped many years before and grew up respecting the guy like a father. While living with these two guys, the little girl soon realizes there's another boy around her age living with them, and the little girl becomes friends with the boy. The friendship they develop sticks with them for many years, well into their adult life. This movie is shocking to me because kidnapping is an unfortunate and horrible (and downright frightening) thing that happens in reality, and the film shows it from the perspective of the little girl who is kidnapped. Gardens of the Night will have you wondering and attached to your TV screen anticipating what will happen next for the poor little girl. The ending of the movie is spectacular and made me cry a little bit. I kind of knew it was coming, but it still hit me pretty hard. You really feel for the girl the entire time and want her to pull through all the obstacles that lay before her. Will she survive? You'll have to find out.