Gardens of the Night (2008)

After being abducted as children, and suffering years of abuse, a teenage boy and girl find themselves living on the street.

Director:

Damian Harris

Writer:

Damian Harris

Stars:

Gillian Jacobs, John Malkovich, Ryan Simpkins

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gillian Jacobs	...	Leslie
John Malkovich	...	Michael
Ryan Simpkins	...	Young Leslie
Tom Arnold	...	Alex
Kevin Zegers	...	Frank
Jermaine Scooter Smith	...	Young Donnie (as Jermaine 'Scooter' Smith)
Harold Perrineau	...	Orlando
Jeremy Sisto	...	Jimmy
Raynold Gideon	...	Judge Feeney
Cornelia Guest	...	Mrs. Feeney
Natalie May	...	Judge's Daughter
Ben Lin	...	Pa
Alice Lo	...	Ma
Evan Ross	...	Donnie
Landall Goolsby	...	Blackberry John

Storyline

An 8-year-old girl is taken from her home and convinced that her family does not want her anymore. After enduring years of horror, she and her fellow victim are dumped by their capturers. Now, 17 years old and no one to turn to except each other, they do their best to survive life on the streets, until one day she finally accepts the help of a shelter counselor to find her way home. However, what she truly finds is the love of her life and that you can never go back. "Gardens of the Night", is a haunting, gritty and topical story which delves deep into the world of child abduction and where it often leads... for the "lucky ones." The writer/director, Damian Harris bases his story on the kids, counselors, cops and pimps he met during two years of research.

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Plot Keywords:

girl | abuse | shelter | teenage boy | pimp | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing content involving sexual exploitation of a child, language, sexual content and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Belmont Park, San Diego, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Station3, Fastback Pictures, Shoot Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The homeless shelter that the adult Leslie visits is located in the Little Italy section of downtown San Diego. In real life it is not a homeless shelter, but as of March of 2010 the building is home to a local car rental business.

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Quotes

Young Leslie: [reading] Then they began their long flight. And the flight of the Monkey People, through tree-land, is one of the things nobody can describe.

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Soundtracks

"Happy holiday"
, "Great plains", "Nick nack paddy whack" and "Red hot latin"
Courtesy of Opus I Production Music Library

User Reviews

A little masterpiece

Relentlessly raw, authentic and sad: I hope that description doesn't drive you away because it is also brilliantly directed and intensely human, and there is a loving relationship at the center that lights it all up like the sun. A scene in an arcade where the two main characters are doing Dance Dance Revolution together had me weeping. Catch this one, however you can.

IMDb says I have to add more lines so I'll say that the casting is as good as casting gets -- one character after another is blazingly real. And the cameo by Malkovich does not feel like a gimmick: he's a genius, and therefore always welcome.