Gardens of the Night
Encyclopedia
Gardens of the Night is a 2008 drama film
, starring Gillian Jacobs
, John Malkovich
, Ryan Simpkins
and Tom Arnold
; and directed and written by Damian Harris
.
) is kidnapped by Alex (Tom Arnold
) and Frank (Kevin Zegers
). Alex tricks her into helping him find his dog Trixie, then takes her to school; during the ride, he pretends that her father is his boss, thus earning her trust. After school, Alex and Frank find her again; they lure her into their car with a story about her dad being in trouble. Then they drug her and take her to their house. Alex tells her that her parents do not want her anymore. As proof, he provides a phone number to her "father's cell phone" which is in reality a pay phone. After several unanswered calls, she eventually accepts his story.
She and another victim, a young boy named Donny (Evan Ross
) are forced into prostitution and child pornography. Alex is very protective and fatherly to them, which adds to her confusion. Their clientele include men in positions of authority, such as a court judge, and they are told that they are lucky to be with such good and honorable men. As a coping mechanism, Donny and Leslie pretend they are in an imaginary world based on the stories of Mowgli
and the Jungle Book
. One day, Leslie goes to a convenience store, where it becomes apparent that her parents are looking for her, because her picture is on milk cartons. Leslie doesn't see the cartons, thus preserving her notion that her parents don't want her. While Alex is paying for ice cream, the store owner's wife recognizes her as missing and calls the police. When the police show up at Alex and Frank's house, the two kidnappers hastily escape with the children.
The story picks up years later, with Leslie and Donny together, living a hand to mouth existence. Leslie is prostituting herself, and as a way to move away from this, she tries to lure a young teen living in a shelter into a prostitution ring. Donny has fallen in love with her, but Leslie is very confused because while she loves and cares for him, he has always acted as a brother and companion to her, and never as a lover. She goes to the shelter in an attempt to win the girl's trust and turn her out as a prostitute, but at the last minute she has a change of heart and returns the girl to the shelter. The counselor (John Malkovich
) discovers her true identity and tells her that her parents have been looking for her all these years, which she finally realizes is true.
Leslie reunites with her parents and attempts to return home. However, she is too scarred from her life on the street and cannot remain in such a normal atmosphere. She leaves in the middle of the night and hitchhikes to Florida, hoping to re-unite with Donny.
The film was then released in the UK and France in October 2008, and in November 2008 was given limited release in New York City, USA. As of December, it has not yet had a nationwide release in the USA.
gives the film a rating of 58% as of December 2008. With 12 reviews counted, seven are "Fresh", or positive, and five are "Rotten" or negative.
A review in The New York Times
states, "Recovery time is recommended after seeing Gardens of the Night, a harrowing, obliquely told story of kidnapping and forced child prostitution that conjures a world entirely populated by predators and prey."
A review in the New York Observer
calls the film "another newfangled kind of horror movie", going on to say, "It is hard to watch, but worth every sobering moment because of the things you learn about one of life’s most grueling subjects."
Tom Arnold
's performance was praised by many critics including Leslie Felperin of Variety
who said "Tom Arnold steals the show".
He also won the "Coup de Coeur" of the International Competition and the CinéFemme Award in Mons's International Love Film Festival
The film won the 2008 Audience Award at the Lyon Film festival (Lyfe/ Hors-Ecran).
Prism Awards: Nominated: Best Feature Film (Mental Health)
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, starring Gillian Jacobs
Gillian Jacobs
Gillian Jacobs is an American film, theatre and television actress, best known for her role as Britta Perry on the NBC comedy series Community.-Personal life:...
, John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
, Ryan Simpkins
Ryan Simpkins
Ryan Elise Simpkins is an American actress. In the film Pride and Glory , she and her brother, actor Ty Simpkins, play the children of Colin Farrell. In Revolutionary Road she again starred alongside her real-life brother Ty.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
and Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
; and directed and written by Damian Harris
Damian Harris
Damian David Harris is an English film director and screenwriter.-Biography:Harris was born in London, one of three sons of the late Irish actor Richard Harris and his first wife, Welsh actress Elizabeth Rees-Williams. His brothers are English actors Jared Harris and Jamie Harris.-Career:In 1968...
.
Plot
At the age of eight, a young girl named Leslie (Gillian JacobsGillian Jacobs
Gillian Jacobs is an American film, theatre and television actress, best known for her role as Britta Perry on the NBC comedy series Community.-Personal life:...
) is kidnapped by Alex (Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
) and Frank (Kevin Zegers
Kevin Zegers
Kevin Joseph Zegers is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his leading roles as Josh Framm in the Air Bud series, as well as playing Damien Dalgaard in the Gossip Girl series and the protagonist in Rock Mafia's The Big Bang...
). Alex tricks her into helping him find his dog Trixie, then takes her to school; during the ride, he pretends that her father is his boss, thus earning her trust. After school, Alex and Frank find her again; they lure her into their car with a story about her dad being in trouble. Then they drug her and take her to their house. Alex tells her that her parents do not want her anymore. As proof, he provides a phone number to her "father's cell phone" which is in reality a pay phone. After several unanswered calls, she eventually accepts his story.
She and another victim, a young boy named Donny (Evan Ross
Evan Ross
Evan Olav Næss is an American actor and musician. He is the son of entertainer Diana Ross. He is the brother of actresses Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Tracee Ellis Ross, and of singer Leona Naess. He began acting in the late 2000s, appearing in the films ATL and Pride...
) are forced into prostitution and child pornography. Alex is very protective and fatherly to them, which adds to her confusion. Their clientele include men in positions of authority, such as a court judge, and they are told that they are lucky to be with such good and honorable men. As a coping mechanism, Donny and Leslie pretend they are in an imaginary world based on the stories of Mowgli
Mowgli
Mowgli is a fictional character from India who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his fantasies, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book , which also featured stories about other...
and the Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
. One day, Leslie goes to a convenience store, where it becomes apparent that her parents are looking for her, because her picture is on milk cartons. Leslie doesn't see the cartons, thus preserving her notion that her parents don't want her. While Alex is paying for ice cream, the store owner's wife recognizes her as missing and calls the police. When the police show up at Alex and Frank's house, the two kidnappers hastily escape with the children.
The story picks up years later, with Leslie and Donny together, living a hand to mouth existence. Leslie is prostituting herself, and as a way to move away from this, she tries to lure a young teen living in a shelter into a prostitution ring. Donny has fallen in love with her, but Leslie is very confused because while she loves and cares for him, he has always acted as a brother and companion to her, and never as a lover. She goes to the shelter in an attempt to win the girl's trust and turn her out as a prostitute, but at the last minute she has a change of heart and returns the girl to the shelter. The counselor (John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
) discovers her true identity and tells her that her parents have been looking for her all these years, which she finally realizes is true.
Leslie reunites with her parents and attempts to return home. However, she is too scarred from her life on the street and cannot remain in such a normal atmosphere. She leaves in the middle of the night and hitchhikes to Florida, hoping to re-unite with Donny.
Commercial
The film was first screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2008, where it was nominated for, but did not win the Golden Bear Award.The film was then released in the UK and France in October 2008, and in November 2008 was given limited release in New York City, USA. As of December, it has not yet had a nationwide release in the USA.
Critical
The review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a rating of 58% as of December 2008. With 12 reviews counted, seven are "Fresh", or positive, and five are "Rotten" or negative.
A review in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
states, "Recovery time is recommended after seeing Gardens of the Night, a harrowing, obliquely told story of kidnapping and forced child prostitution that conjures a world entirely populated by predators and prey."
A review in the New York Observer
New York Observer
The New York Observer is a weekly newspaper first published in New York City on September 22, 1987, by Arthur L. Carter, a very successful former investment banker with publishing interests. The Observer focuses on the city's culture, real estate, the media, politics and the entertainment and...
calls the film "another newfangled kind of horror movie", going on to say, "It is hard to watch, but worth every sobering moment because of the things you learn about one of life’s most grueling subjects."
Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
's performance was praised by many critics including Leslie Felperin of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
who said "Tom Arnold steals the show".
Awards
Gardens of the Night won the International Critics Jury award at the 2008 Deauville Festival of American Film.He also won the "Coup de Coeur" of the International Competition and the CinéFemme Award in Mons's International Love Film Festival
The film won the 2008 Audience Award at the Lyon Film festival (Lyfe/ Hors-Ecran).
Prism Awards: Nominated: Best Feature Film (Mental Health)