Sissy Spacek was outstanding in this movie, as was the actress that portrayed the babysitter. However, the way the Child Welfare agent handled the case for the mother who had previously abandoned her baby, Annie, was so unrealistic! I might addd, what judge would award custody to a crackhead who passed her HIV to an innocent child, and then totally abandon that child? Also, why was no home visit conducted on the biological mother, and the foster mom who wanted to adopt this child? That is something that is always part of the process to ensure a child has a clean decent environment in which to live, before a judge hands down a decision whether or not to award custody to a biological mother or allow a foster mom to adopt the child. By failing to order home visits, the judge had nothing to compare as far as home environments for the child. If the judge would have ordered home visits to be conducted by a Child Welfare agent the agent would have seen firsthand the trashy place that that Annie was going to be forced to live in, versus the healthy environment provided by the foster mom who wanted to adopt Annie, and there would be no way the judge would have granted custody to the biological mother! This whole situation concerning the way this custody decision was handled was totally absurd! I think the writers should have done more research on the process that a Child Welfare Agency actually follows in real life, to avoid misleading the viewing audience. The storyline was quite heart wrenching however. It clearly shows the devastation that occurs to those who get involved in the habit, and the innocent ones in their lives as well!
