Gardens of the Night

My question was always how beautiful, SMART, promising children get abducted in the first place and erased from their family's dynamics. This movie is every parents nightmare and to see how Tom Arnold (Alex) and his partner (Frank), played by Kevin Zegers go through the cunning, gut wrenching process of surreptitiously convincing an 8 yr.old gorgeous child, that he worked for the father and she needed to get into the car and talk about his father's 'big troubles'. Tom Arnold played this monster abductor with such skill, and at first with gentle convincing persuasion that they had been abandoned by their families because of their FAMILIES' bleak circumstances. "Never talk to Strangers" goes above and beyond, because they both are so eloquent and seamless in their successful display of believability. I presume that walking alone back and forth from school is a thing of the past! This is a tough watch, so get your gut strong and the message is clear. This is all done for money marketing these children into porno, rape and abuse. Without giving the ending away it is certainly a movie that educates, and depicts a well researched account by the writer Damian Harris. For two years he worked among the pimps, shelters, child porno industry to identify this horror and how it manifests within these young adults as they grow to know the truth.

I'd never heard of the film and by the end was in tears. The lead character Leslie is brilliantly acted. Don't expect feel good. The film should be seen by all caring people. Child abduction is evil. Knowing that intellectually is one thing but seeing the reality of it is necessary for people to put an end to it.

The film is a heart breaker

I can't believe I got through this film, first of all, because that little blond angel of an actress that played little Leslie made the evil of the subject matter all the more horrific. Tom Arnold was brilliant, and had me feeling sorry for his character. Kevin Zegers was convincing as Tom's "turned" accomplice, dark and damaged. Jeremy Sisto was so creepy I cannot forget his sleazy grin as he offered a "discount" to Tom.

Gillian's eyes said it all. What a great actress this girl is. Such dead eyes. And John Malkovich as a good guy...just enough to keep me off balance.

All the actors in this film gave stunning performances about a very distasteful subject: broad daylight abductions of children, the business of child pornography, and the murdering of innocent souls.

There was never going to be a happy ending to this movie, and it took courage to make this film knowing that nobody is going to watch it twice, unless they're perverted; or recommend it to their friends. However, everyone needs to recommend it to anyone they know who has children. Because evil is cunning.

I will never be the same.

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.

"Gardens of the Night" is about two children, Leslie and Donnie, kidnapped by two men and their lives together. It's directed by newcomer Damian Harris who based his story on the kids, counselors, police officers, and pimps that he met during his two years of research. His years of perfecting the story was seen in how well made this movie was. As a parent, I felt the pain of what would happen if my child was taken and having to endure the horrors that these children did for over nine years. After they get too old, they are dumped by their captors and left to fend for themselves.

The actors did an amazing job bringing this script to life. The two children, Rayn Simpkins and Jermaine Scooter Smith, who play the young Leslie and Donnie really showed the pain that children who have dealt with this probably felt. I was impressed on how well they did for being so young. I was glad that they didn't get too graphic on the parts when the children had to do deal with pedophiles because I probably would have nightmares for awhile thinking about how this really happens every day. The director was able to make his point across without showing too much. Some other directors would have gone for the shock factor, so I am glad that he was smart enough to realize that he would have lost his audience doing that.

The cinematography was great because it didn't look like it was made in a fancy studio. It gave the feel like you were actually there with them throughout the entire ordeal. I also like how they show how this is usually a vicious cycle that occurs and that it usually doesn't just end. You expect a big, happy ending where everything is perfect at the end, and I am glad that he kept it realistic. Every parent should watch this. Even if you aren't a parent, you probably should. It will make you think twice about what to do if you see a sad child, who doesn't seem like he/she belongs with that adult, looking at you with helpless eyes.