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Gardens of the Night (2008)

 -  Drama  -  21 November 2008 (USA)
6.8
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Ratings: 6.8/10 from 2,193 users   Metascore: 43/100
Reviews: 13 user | 29 critic | 5 from Metacritic.com

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

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Title: Gardens of the Night (2008)

Gardens of the Night (2008) on IMDb 6.8/10

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3 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Leslie
...
Michael
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Young Leslie
...
Alex
...
Frank
Jermaine Scooter Smith ...
Young Donnie (as Jermaine 'Scooter' Smith)
...
Orlando
...
Jimmy
Raynold Gideon ...
Judge Feeney
...
Mrs. Feeney
Natalie May ...
Judge's Daughter
...
Pa
...
Ma
...
Donnie
...
Blackberry John
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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. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

girl | abuse | shelter | teenage boy | pimp | See more »

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

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Release Date:

21 November 2008 (USA)  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

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Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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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. See more »

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.
See more »

Soundtracks

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

A little masterpiece
27 November 2008 | by (Los Angeles, California) – See all my reviews

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.


45 of 54 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
So hard to watch! My advice; avoid at all costs! ebc1973
Is Tom Arnold Oscar-worthy? Corndogg-5
Judge's Daughters alex_123
Gilian was too pretty to play the older Leslie?! What?! LexRox
Why did Leslie seem more educated than Donnie? la_cinematheque
Questionable ethics to involve a child in the story shill-9
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