Hidden in America (TV 1996)

Story of a man Bill Januson whose pride in being the head of his family won't let him accept help from his sick daughters doctor. He has to prove to his kids that even with the death of his... See full summary »

Director:

Martin Bell

Writers:

Peter Silverman, Michael De Guzman

Stars:

Beau Bridges, Bruce Davison, Shelton Dane

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Beau Bridges	...	Bill Januson
Bruce Davison	...	Dr. Michael Millerton
Shelton Dane	...	Robbie Januson
Jena Malone	...	Willa
Alice Krige	...	Dee
Josef Sommer	...	Edward Millerton
Frances McDormand	...	Gus
Jeff Bridges	...	Vincent
Allegra Denton	...	Caroline
Dan Petronijevic	...	Kenny
Nick Johne	...	Oscar
Nicky Guadagni	...	Hospital Administrator
Liisa Repo-Martell	...	Angela
Pixie Bigelow	...	Marian Millerton
James Kidnie	...	Mr. Tatum

Storyline

Story of a man Bill Januson whose pride in being the head of his family won't let him accept help from his sick daughters doctor. He has to prove to his kids that even with the death of his wife and the loss of his job that they can and will survive. After hitting brick wall after brick wall comes a glimmer of hope.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | starving child | poverty | widower | reality | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing plot material

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Escondido na América

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Citadel Entertainment, End Hunger Network, The, Fred Berner Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Off The Shelf"
Composed by Dick Walter
Courtesy of Associated Production Music

User Reviews

Naive

This is quite enjoyable, and the cast is good, but it doesn't really tackle the issues at hand. Because it's coming from American so called "liberal" viewpoint, it refuses to take a real left wing stance on the real divisions between rich and poor. One of the characters refuses to take state welfare out of misguided pride, but doesn't talk about taxing the rich. The tension between the poor family and the rich family is there, but from my own experience of such relationships, it's simply not realistic.

Of course, I realise someone from a right wing perspective will criticise the characters, but the writer seems to have covered that, by having the father being a hard worker who gets made redundant etc.

This is a film that deals with real social issues, but doesn't offer a workable solution.