Really Surprised!

Film Perfection

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

If you haven't figured out that Steve James is an excellent filmmaker then re-rent and watch again. This movie is emotionally gripping from start to finish. Its an excellent examination of how society can fail the children that need the most help, and that some crimminals are really made not born. I thought the way his case played out was really one of the most interesting parts of the movie, be it Stevie's view, childish and ignorant, or his lawyer who seemed to want nothing to do with the case except to have it go away. Anyhow this is a good film that shows a part of humanity that everyone would like to believe doesn't exist. James throws a spotlight on it with this film.

The synopsis does sound terrible, however if you are willing to challenge your behalves and conceptions you'll get to see a film which is, with no better words to put it, simply unbelievable. And yes, it does require some open mind to really appreciate it, but hi, doesn't all great art does? This film will open your heart in a way you couldn't anticipate, regardless of how strongly you feel about child abuse. Stevie himself was abused and raped over and over again, from one abusing family to another. There's a commentator here that claims she knows lots of people who had it worse, well, I don't know where she's coming from but this is one horrible childhood. But like a genuine work of art this film doesn't come to advocate a man who did a terrible crime, he just trying to follow the road that was broken from the first brick. One of the greatest cinematic works of our time that has yet to receive its recognition.

This film is about a kid named Stevie from rural southern Illinois who was abused, neglected, and bounced around between various homes as a child. As an adult, he acts as we might predict: he is unstable, has a skewed moral compass, is child-like, and commits serious crimes. The filmmaker was a mentor to Stevie while at college and returns to catch up with him years later. He finds out that Stevie has been indicted with a serious crime and faces a long prison sentence. He uses this film as a way to investigate the root causes of Stevie's current behavior and to alleviate some guilt about not 'being there' for Stevie - after college, he moved to Chicago and didn't have contact with Stevie for many years. This film is a discussion-starter and brings up many questions about how children are raised and how a child's upbringing will affect his/her life. The editing job is mediocre and I think the film starts to get long-winded and boring toward the middle. Also, I can't help but feel that the director's somewhat warped, voyeuristic vision of what the film is or what it will do is ethically questionable. However, the film is honest and straight-forward and will elicit good discussion afterwards, even if you do end up pretty depressed. 6 out of 10

How dare anyone make a movie humanizing a child raping monster? I just caught this for the first time on TV, and was completely disgusted. Where's the person who is going to tell the story of that innocent 8 year old child? Anyone who feels sorry for this man needs as much help as he does. He had chance after chance to turn his life around, and instead he stole, assaulted, and raped... Give me a break. And he even had a chance to speak on his own behalf at his sentencing, but instead he acted like he just couldn't even be bothered. I know he had bad things happen to him as a kid, but who hasn't? I know plenty of people with a childhood similar if not worse than his, and don't grow up to be self destructive pedophiles.