Les enfants du dêsespoir

I could understand why a lot of young people find this TV movie lame, but don't forget it was made 20 years ago and times have change. The movie is actually realistic on the going-ons that happen at some rehab centers; I have a sister that went through a similar ordeal (for an eating disorder) and what she described to me reminded me very much of this movie.

The story is about a teenage girl from an upper-class family named Susan, (portrayed wonderfully by Viveka Davis), who falls in with the wrong crowd and gets involved with drugs. The parents are blind to their daughter's drug abuse until she is involved in a car wreck causing the father to become suspicious of his daughter's behavior. Despite the mother's denial that their precious daughter would stoop to drugs, the father is finally convinced of his daughter's problems and firmly puts her in rehab. Susan puts up a fight and gives the counselors a rough time and even escapes, but eventually gets with the program, and father and daughter are reunited.

Yes, the movie is dated, but it's not horrible. It brings to light the evils of drug abuse involving teenagers and how it not only affects the user, but their entire family.