GARDENS OF THE NIGHT
US, 2008, 110 minutes, Colour.
Gillian Jacobs, Evan Ross, Tom Arnold, Ryan Simkins, John Malkovich, Jeremy Sisto, Harold Perinneau, Kevin Zegers.
Directed by Damien Harris.
Gardens of the Night is a frightening, even harrowing film written and directed by Damien Harris (The Rachel Papers). It is a film about child abduction, the world of paedophilia, the consequences for the children, their moving into lives of prostitution.
Ryan Simkins portrays a little girl in Pennsylvania who is abducted by a smooth-talking Tom Arnold and his sidekick, played by Kevin Zegers. Arnold’s performance makes the abduction only too plausible, offering an eight-year-old girl reasonable explanations for what was happening and the absence of her parents. However, she is a strong little girl and comes to disbelieve him. However, as time goes by, she is brainwashed and becomes the victim of abuse by Arnold, by an arranger (played by Jeremy Sisto), tormented in a performance by Harold Perrino as an accomplice.
The film is not particularly explicit in showing the behaviour of the abusers (especially when she is taken to the home of a respectable judge). However, the implications are very clear.
Along with Lesley, the little girl, there is a young African American boy, Donnie. Gradually they form a friendship, using the words of Kipling’s The Jungle Book for their imaginations as well as communicating some of their story and their being lost in the jungle.
The film makes a transition to Lesley and Donnie at age seventeen. There is no explanation of how they got away from their abductors. However, the effect has been traumatic and they now work as prostitutes in San Diego. The film focuses on their life, their peers, the pressures, the squalor.
John Malkovich portrays a social worker in San Diego who takes on Lesley’s case. However, she is using it as a cover to groom a young girl for prostitution – even using the same words and situations that her abductors used for her. However, she comes to her senses and rescues the girl. The possibility of finding her family, even though she thought they had rejected her, becomes a possibility. However, Donnie has disappeared. They had agreed if ever there was a difficulty and they were separated, they would meet in Florida.
The film ends – open-endedly but with some promise of hope.
Gillian Jacobs is very good as the surly young woman. Ryan Simkins is particularly good as Lesley as the little girl. Tom Arnold is frighteningly persuasive, playing good guy to Kevin Zeger’s bad guy.
The film does not have such a visual flair – which means that the treatment is very much a focus on characters, even the kind of film style for television movies.
1.The film’s exploration of trafficking, paedophilia? The end of the 20th century, beginning of the 21st century and the prevalence, the public knowledge of cases, media awareness? Child abduction? Grooming?
2.The difficulties of making a film on this topic, questions of how to present this material, how explicitly, implicitly, suggestion? How successful was this film in portraying terrible situations, crises, but in an accessible way for a wide audience?
3.The opening, Lesley in San Diego, the house, the children, her smoking, going across the street to the shelter, the encounter with Michael Evans, his questions? The tone? Commenting on her parents’ death, her brother and living with an uncle?
4.The flashback to Pennsylvania, the ordinary suburban street, Lesley going to school as normal, Alex and his story about searching for Trixie, his dog, her response, their going back to the house, finding her dog, not finding Trixie? Alex as friendly, the lift, her believing him, dropping her at school? His return, the story about her parents, making it credible, trust, the phone calls and her hearing him talk, the drink and the drug? The contrast with Frank and his surliness? Going to the house, the good guy/bad guy routine? Donnie present in the house, quiet? Their bath, the new clothes, the locked door?
5.Audience response to the situation, the children as victims, innocents, the listening to the grooming, the watching of the trafficking? The African American in the motel, his threats to Lesley, the assault, Alex and Frank and their shooting him? Their protecting Lesley – and her later finding that the African American was alive? Alex and his sweet talk, the bath, his story about the larva having to suffer and change into a butterfly and be beautiful? Lesley and her using this image later for grooming the young girl? The damage done to Lesley’s psyche?
6.The use of Kipling’s Jungle Book to illustrate their experience, reading it aloud, ways of coping?
7.Lesley, hearing Alex on the phone to her parents, finally crushing the paper with the phone number? Yet the audience seeing the public phone and its ringing, seeing the notice about her being lost? Her being resigned to her fate, the perspective of an eight-year-old?
8.The sequence with the arranger of taking children to clients? The talk, the bargains, Alex and the deals, the manager, smooth and calm, smiling at the children? Taking Lesley to the judge, his giving her the new dress, putting her with his daughters, his wife and meeting Lesley and suspecting nothing?
9.The ice cream, Frank and his surliness, Alex taking them to the shop? The Asian owners, seeing the notice, recognising Lesley? The police coming to the house, their escaping by the back? Taking the children to a new house? The years passing? The promise if they ever separated they would go to Florida?
10.San Diego, the beach, the streets, the laundries, the years having passed? No explanation? The audience supplying it?
11.Donnie and Lesley and their prostitution, in the streets, the cars, pimps, the young prostitutes, the gay young men and their talk, drugs, the rehearsal of dealing with clients and the crassness?
12.Lesley at seventeen, the effect on her life, an intelligent young woman, low self-image? Her friendship with Donnie? The pimp and his proposal that she groom the twelve-year-old girl, rescue her from the shelter? Going to the shelter, the questions with Michael Evans, the rules of the house, the young girl, talking with her? Lesley giving the girl the bath, talking with her, grooming her? Going to the diner, the sale? Her decision to get her out, the escape to the shelter? The danger to Lesley?
13.Donnie, his character, friendship, the tricks, the clients, talking to Lesley, love for her, the fight and the bashing, his leaving?
14.Lesley and Michael Evans, his showing her the notice when she was abducted, her feeling dead, the dialogue about her going home, unwilling, thinking her parents wouldn’t want her?
15.The return, the social worker with her, her parents and their welcome, love, relief, the discussions, telling her about the brother and sister, their coming home, having the cake, the ingenuous questions by the children, Lesley’s answer that she was lost in a forest? Her watching her parents care for her brother and sister?
16.The decision to leave, to hitchhike to Florida, the credits with the lights of the fairground where Donnie and Lesley had arranged to meet?
17.The open ending, the hope for each of the two?
18.The effect of watching this kind of story, understanding the situation, the feelings of the parents, the feelings of the victims? Disgust with the perpetrators?
