Unspeakable Acts

I realize this is an older movie, but the acting was insincere, almost laughable, especially Brad Davis' acting, embarrassingly so. Jill clayburgh wasn't wonderful either; she and Davis were so over the top melodramatic. The directing was very poorly done. The entire production including acting, lighting, and set dressing was very low budget. The best acting in the movie was done by little 4 year old Joseph Mazzello.

The sordid and serious subject matter deserved a better telling of this true story. Perhaps this entire story should be updated and told again in a better production with a better director and better actors.

Unlike the McMartin trial, there are no questions here. These folks are pure and simple child molesters. A very good adaption from a very good, large volume, so kudos to the screenwriter for boiling it down. Clayburgh and Davis are great as child shrinks. Again, character drives the story of child molestation in a daycare home. See it and weep, and learn.

In the late 80s, this case was held up as the gold standard for child interviewing techniques. However, since the early 90s these same techniques have been debunked again and again. Child welfare agencies now say this is Exhibit B for how not to interview a child (with Exhibit A being the McMartin Preschool case).

If you want to learn more about working with abused children, watch The Boarder. Do NOT watch any movie based on a child abuse case from the 80s. They contain bad information about child abuse investigations.

Get to the point. The movie is not able to get the Point across. It's unrealistic and unconventional. This movie should never have been made on such a touchy subject of child abuse. There's no way the young victims gave their stories in adult dialogues

Besides the performance...

it's difficult to think that the techniques used to questions those young victims at the time actually happened. Yelling at the children... Thank goodness times have changed and victims are more protected.

For a 90's movie I'm so surprised that it wasn't well thought out. And for such a controversial subject. I believe a lot of this story didn't happen and they came up with most. It's actually sad.

Surprised to find this old Lifetime true story movie on Netflix in 2024 about the childcare center abuses in the 80s in Florida.

Always found their true crime movies a good way to get the picture since the news articles are always so piecemeal. No acts are shown but the young child actors tell what happened to them explicitly. The child psychologists are played by Jill Clayburgh and Brad Davis and their POV is shown.

Some familiar faces as the parents of abused kids. Reading up about what happened the guys is still in prison but expounds doubts about the case against him.

Interesting docudrama style.