For the Love of a Child

I have rarely seen ANYTHING that moved me as much as "For the Love of a Child." Based on the true story of Childhelp International and the two women who founded it, this film brought tears to my eyes (and I rarely cry at movies -- show me a "tear-jerker" with an overannuated actress dying of a fatal disease to the accompaniment of treacly string music and my eyes remain dry every time). This film works on every level: a sensitive script by Duane Poole that showcased both the depths of depravity and the heights of nobility that we humans are capable of; quiet, understated direction by Douglas Barr, who trusted the story to tell itself without gimmicks or visual trickery; and acting by a remarkable ensemble cast who vividly brought these people to life. David McNally's performance as the abusive stepdad is one of the most intense portraits of controlled evil I've seen on screen, but the real "star" of this movie is Matthew Knight, the remarkable child actor who played Jacob and brought all his moods and emotions to vivid life. One wonders how Douglas Barr got this performance out of him, and in particular just how much the director told him about abused children generally and the character specifically -- it's a marvelous acting job but I can't help but wonder whether the boy might be scarred just from having to act these scenes. The film is a tribute to the human spirit that a group such as Childhelp can exist -- even though it's also an all too accurate portrayal of the dark side of our natures that requires a group like Childhelp to exist in the first place. The editing between the current story and the flashbacks in the first hour occasionally gets confusing, but that's the only negative thing I'd have to say about this great film.

It touches you... Shows you the real world... Shows you that there is a lot of crap going on around the globe, where poor, helpless, innocent, orphans and children are being tortured, molested and abused. And then it shows that there are those amongst us who would spend their entire life fixing this! This movie has surely stirred me... and I will definitely watch it again. The acting is great, I would want to know what became of the lady in Japan though. The scene that brought a tear in my eye was when Michael's back was shown, and it read "Bad Boy" (which was made out of scars). And then again, when Jacob's shirt was removed, and we could see the Iron marks...

Nothing really to get excited about in this movie. The movie retells the true story of Childhelp International and the two women who founded it. Jumping from the past to the present we are shown how the foundation came to be and how it flourished since then.

The origins aren't really too heartwarming and you can't help to think that it lacked real heart to it. Maybe a different form of presenting the motivations of the women who created Chlidhelp International would be in order.

The main segment of the film however can at times pack a wallop. It shows abused children, that are taken in by Childhelp, with various horror stories behind all of them. The organisation gives them a chance to find peace and in the future maybe hope for a better living. It's shocking in as much as all of it seems to be based on real life stories. The storytelling however is lacking and weak with the acting below par.

Nothing really to get excited about, but it is a decent watch and definitely not a waste of time.

Based on the book written by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson ('Silence Broken'), this TV movie chronicles how both Sara and Yvonne went all the way to help kids who had been neglected.

The TV movie began with a young boy Jacob who tried to hide away from his abusive father as he tried to call the help centre. Though Jacob's father eventually found out where his son was, the help centre eventually managed to trace where the call was from. It was later known that the centre was managed by both Sara and Yvonne.

After Jacob was being brought to the centre, Sara and Yvonne reminisced about the time when they performed back in Tokyo and the event which changed their life. The two ladies knew after their encounter with the homeless kids on the streets of Tokyo that helping neglected kids was something they can do.

The movie changes between the current times and the time when Sara and Yvonne trying very hard to push their cause across to the relevant authorities in the country to some of the cases in the movie like especially two children by the name of Laura and Michael other than Jacob.

Sometimes it's just scary to hear and watch of cases of child abuse. But then it's just true that there are always such cases out there. The TV movie can really pull the heartstrings.

I was unforgettable as "guy in the crowd who claps, and also waves his hat."

Still waiting on the Academy for that Oscar, but I've been blacklisted from extra work for 18 years, so it's probably politically motivated.