No Child of Mine (TV 1997)

Thirteen-year-old Kerry is repeatedly sexually abused by several adults, including at one point her mother. Her father sets her up as a prostitute. Kerry finally calls Childline and is put ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Kosminsky

Writer:

Guy Hibbert

Stars:

Brooke Kinsella, Colin Salmon, Billy Geraghty

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brooke Kinsella	...	Kerry
Colin Salmon	...	Paul
Billy Geraghty	...	Jim
Sharon Small	...	Linda
Geoffrey Church	...	Graham
Ginny Holder	...	Bridget
Colin Wyatt	...	Chris
Darren Tighe	...	Mick
Kate Byers	...	Matty
Katie Lyons	...	Tracy
J. Marie Cooper	...	Lucy (as Jill Cooper)
Billie Holmes	...	Paula
Anna Waters	...	Donna
Biddy Hodson	...	Miss Lewis
Alex Knight	...	Steve

Storyline

Thirteen-year-old Kerry is repeatedly sexually abused by several adults, including at one point her mother. Her father sets her up as a prostitute. Kerry finally calls Childline and is put in a safe house, where she tries to come to terms with what has been done to her. Based on a true story, with the names changed to protect the real Kerry's identity.

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Plot Keywords:

child abuse | child prostitution | based on true story

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1997 (UK)

Also Known As:

Barn utan kärlek

Filming Locations:

Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Meridian Broadcasting, Stonehenge Films, United Film and Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several pupils from The Romsey Community School, one of the locations used in the film, were used as extras. One scene where Kerry is shown on the school bus features several of these pupils engaging in dialogue.

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Soundtracks

"Ladykillers"
Written by Miki Berenyi
Performed by Lush
Courtesy of 4AD

User Reviews

Powerful drama, great acting!

Im not being funny, but some of you sound like perverts yourself getting all defensive! The movie was intended to be over the top in order to illustrate the vulnerability of some children in our society today. Whilst I can accept that the mass betrayal to Kerry from almost every adult she encountered was some what unbelievable, who is to say that her parents and their friends weren't involved in a paedophile circle and this point was not focused on the film. It was clear that the abuse had been going on from before the breakdown of her parents marriage or indeed where the storyline actually kicked off.

The movie was powerful as it portrayed a story from the perspective of a child who knew what was happening to her was wrong, but tried to block the truth out in order to have some sense of normality from her parents. I myself have no knowledge of how these perverted networks operate but can only imagine that these people don't advertise their membership with a sign on their head, it is believable that something like this could happen and is still happening with guardians and family friends who are good at hiding their illness, we only have to look at a few domestic abuse cases to see how people attempt to hide what happens behind closed doors.

Obviously in the times we live in now there will be cases where adults are falsely accused of molestation, but I think the film demonstrates how these should still be investigated seriously, because for this type of thing to happen just once is far too much in the life of a child. The way the care system was CPS was bound by red tape demonstrates the systems failings on some of our most vulnerable in society, the betrayal of the care home worker demonstrates the type of people who pray on people in this situation. Now more checks are carried on adults who work with children and this is a positive development, 20 plus years ago this was just not the case.

A powerful drama which I believe is intended to stimulate thought and awareness about the things that are happening around us. - No Child of Mine - the title says it all, I would not accept it for any of my children or any child for that matter. What has happened to the real meaning of community?