Child's Cry (TV 1986)

A social worker (Lindsay Wagner) starts working with a shy, withdrawn 6 year old (Taliesin Jaffe) whom she believes is the victim of sexual abuse.

Director:

Gilbert Cates

Writers:

Jonathan B. Rintels Jr. (teleplay), Jonathan B. Rintels Jr. (story),

Stars:

Lindsay Wagner, Peter Coyote, Taliesin Jaffe

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lindsay Wagner	...	Joanne Van Buren
Peter Coyote	...	Matt Townsend
Taliesin Jaffe	...	Eric Townsend
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Sam Van Buren
Guy Boyd	...	Krantz
Brent Jennings	...	Harkins
Vic Polizos	...	Clark Thurlow
Marlene Warfield	...	Maxine
Jack Rader	...	Jack Donovan
Enrique Castillo	...	Ramirez (as E.J. Castillo)
Peter Hobbs	...	Judge Dietrich
David A. Penhale	...	Roy
Anne Gee Byrd	...	Mrs. Goralsky
Kathleen Garrett	...	Principal
Herta Ware	...	Mrs. Hartounian

Storyline

A social worker (Lindsay Wagner) starts working with a shy, withdrawn 6 year old (Taliesin Jaffe) whom she believes is the victim of sexual abuse.

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Plot Keywords:

child abuse

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Llanto de niño

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Phoenix Entertainment, Shoot the Moon Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Kate gives Lindsay a role

Lindsay Wagner is Joanne van Bulen, a social worker who is assigned to 6 year old Eric Townsend (Taliesin Jaffe), whom it is believed has been sexually abused.

Wagner wears her trademark long hair in a short style here, and plays Joanne simply. Although it is not a star role per se, Wagner has the sense not to try and upstage Jaffe, and to defer to the greater acting skill of Peter Coyote who plays Eric's father Matt. It's interesting that the movie is executive produced by actress Kate Jackson though Wagner is cast in the female lead role.

The teleplay by Jonathan B Rintels Jr and Norman Strum provides Joanne with a strained relationship with her father, and she projects some of that onto the situation with Eric and Eric's father. An epilogue notes that child testimony against alleged abusers is now accepted via closed circuit television, because of the trauma face to face testimony has on the alleged victim, especially being a young child.

Director Gilbert Cates gives us a child's point of view of the courtroom when Eric enters to give his testimony, and makes Coyote's short-tempered father amusing in his frustration when it is thought that Matt could be an abuser.