Stevie

First of all, let me repeat what others have already stated...lots of of people are reared in the the same, and worse, abject conditions as Stevie...I grew up with people who had it just as bad if not worse.

The trick is rising above all that...there's no sin in making a mistake...the sin comes in making the same mistake over and over again and expecting the world to to say "Poor little thing...what a life..."...We've all in one form or another had less than heavenly lives...

The self-serving film-maker needs his ass kicked for preening in front of the cameras all but demanding our collective forgiveness...Sorry, I gave at the office.

As to the film's subject, this kid had deep seated problems LONG before he decided to molest an 8 year old girl...and for God's sake, let's not mention the hell that angel will suffer for years to come.

Yes, child abuse is a self-fulfilling cycle...that far too often forgets the little ones who suffer in silence.

I consider myself a political progressive...well-educated and sickened by the horror stories about the "poor Stevies" of the world who are pitied...I'll save my prayers, thoughts and energies for their victims...Let's hope that becomes the case for more people.

This, to my mind, is how a documentary should be. The filmmaker makes no direct appeal for sympathy, he doesn't try to explain things, he just shows what is and lets the involved parties state their versions of what happened. In short, he documents: he does not propagandize.

Rarely have two and a half hours of viewing slipped by so rapidly for me. I was near tears at the end of it--not because my emotions had been "tweaked" or played with by the film's creator, but simply out of a feeling of despair for our miserable human condition. This superb film lays a lot of truths about humanity pitilessly bare.

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

"There but by the Grace of God go I". Stevie never had a chance...at least not at first with his birth mother. It all starts in the womb. He was never wanted. Except for his story as sad and tragic as it is Stevie would have been better off not to have made it out of the womb. Certainly the little girl he molested would be.

The real tragedy is he did have a chance with the Hubers and his Big Brother Steve...both abandoned Stevie and knew it. You just can't trip in and out of children's lives and expect them to be "OK". Mrs. Hubers comment "well life goes on" was so trite. What she meant was HER life goes on. Stevies just stopped.....again.

All Children, especially the Stevies, need a lifetime of commitment. Commitment is what transforms the promise into reality. IT is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions that speak louder than the words. It is the making of time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time. Year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.

It's interesting to read peoples' reviews of this. There definitely seems to be the either love it or hate it perspective going on. I found the film to not be defined that easily however, which I think contributes to its effectiveness. It's complicated, and I found myself changing my mind on many of the film's points throughout the film and even now, after seeing the film a week ago. Many have criticized the director's perceived exploitation of Stevie. I don't see it that way. I see it as honest. James indicates early on that when Stevie was assigned to him, he wished he would have gotten a kid that he shared common interests with or could at least identify with better. It takes guts to admit that. That's honest. The fact is he stuck it out with Stevie, and did the best he could. It appears later in the film he might have abandon Stevie, but - it is a fact of life that sometimes things like that happen without a reason. I think throughout the film James was trying to walk the line of what was best for Stevie and most appropriate as far as his involvement with Stevie and his family. Sure there is a question as to how Stevie benefits from this film - will it make his life better? Probably not. Will it make a difference a few years from now? Probably not. I was fascinated by the film and its ability to shift my emotions so dramatically. I think the fact it does not answer the questions makes it more compelling. You actually have to think about it yourself.

I had a tough time watching the scene where the camera is on Steve James as Tonya tells him that at least something good came of all this, that at least a film was made about Stevie. I didn't like how long they allowed the camera to catch Steve's emotional reaction and it seemed a little too obvious...like the scene in Broadcast News where William Hurt whips up some tears to show on camera. I don't like that kind of manipulation. However, that being said, I don't mean to imply that Steven James wasn't sincere in his reaction; it was his editing choice that seems insincere.

It's a complicated film. Just like Stevie the person, there are no easy answers; unlike Stevie the person, life is not simply black and white. I do think the title reflects many things: the subject as he is now, the director's memory of Stevie the little boy, and the director himself. I don't believe that Stevie was exploited, but there is something in the intention of the film that is unsettling. And I think that unsettling feeling is an okay thing to have. If I taught a film class, this is a film I would definitely want to use to explore the nature of point of view, the ethics of documentary film-making, and the nature of simply being human.

I adored Tonya's friend in Chicago. Tonya, her friend, and Wanda reflect the very best about people and shatter easy stereotypes. These are all smart, independent, warm, thoughtful women, which is just wonderful to see in a documentary film.