Locked Up: A Mother's Rage (1991) (TV)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Bethany Rooney

Writers (WGA):

Selma Thompson (written by) &
Robert L. Freedman (written by)

Release Date:

29 November 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Child | Prison | Women's Prison | Innocence | Wrongful Imprisonment

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Cheryl Ladd	...	Annie Gallagher
Jean Smart	...	Cathy
Dean Norris	...	Mike
Ariana Richards	...	Kelly Gallagher
Angela Bassett	...	Willie
Kimberly Scott	...	Sherisse
Vanessa Marquez	...	Yo-Yo
Peter Reckell	...	Danny
Diana Muldaur	...	Frances
Joshua Harris	...	Shawn
April Ortiz	...	Teresa
Karen Hensel	...	Cookie
Matthew Faison
Karen Kondazian
Lenny Wolpe

Also Known As:

Other Side of Love

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M

Worth watching commentary about prison mothers

The story concerns a mother of three sent to prison for 15 years for a crime she did not commit,on the testimony of the real drug dealer who got off on a 1 to 3 plea bargain as a reward for his perjury. Perhaps this isn't the greatest social drama ever made, but it points up the unreliability of our justice system, and the total inadequacy of any plan to care for children of convicted women, guilty or not. Also illustrated is the the fact that violent (20%) and non-violent (80%) inmates are all treated alike once in the clink. Our totally wrong-headed drug laws are responsible for most people in prison today, although the film doesn't emphasize this particularly. It's a film well-acted and produced and better edited than most TV movies. Jean Smart, an alumna of Ashland, Oregon's Shakespeare Festival, is a stand-out performer as the victim's sister. Her life is as much disrupted by the wrongful incarceration as that of the victim, played winningly by Cheryl Ladd. It's well worth a watch.