A couple is accused of sodomy and pedophilia by two little girls. Soon they find their beloved sons taken away from them and themselves thrown in jail.A couple is accused of sodomy and pedophilia by two little girls. Soon they find their beloved sons taken away from them and themselves thrown in jail.A couple is accused of sodomy and pedophilia by two little girls. Soon they find their beloved sons taken away from them and themselves thrown in jail.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
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- TriviaAfter being found to have mishandled many of the abuse cases of the early 1980's, the legal officials involved in the case faced a great deal of public scrutiny, and many lost their jobs; as the film states in the ending text, one of the lawyers who had coached the Kniffen boys into confession did indeed end up working for minimum wage as a cashier afterwards, while others continued to work within the court system until at least 2009, facing little to no serious consequences for the way they responded to the cases. As was later revealed after the making of this film, most of the legal team involved with the prosecution had read the now debunked true crime novel Michelle Remembers, about a case of alleged satanic ritual abuse syndrome.
- Quotes
Brandon Kniffen (Age 15-21): You don't understand! If it never happened... then how am I supposed to live with myself?
Featured review
Great and disturbing film
Odd now in these days of such professional police investigation to see the portrayal of the dark days of the 80s when the art was just in its' infancy. The story really falls down on whether we believe the children and can they lie about this? If the kids are telling the truth then the parents deserve everything they get but if they are lying...?
In one scene the mother (the ever gorgeous Virginia Madsen) asks can the police just come into your home and take your kids away? And the answer of course is that if they have reason to believe you're abusing them then of course they can. But this was at a time when it was considered that children couldn't lie about such things and people didn't realise how they could be easily lead and influenced during interviews. It's also a good example of the importance of independence in the judicial system, the prosecutors desperate to please public opinion by getting convictions and then reconsidering when public opinion shifts in the opposite direction. Perhaps the scariest thing is when the prosecutor receives the court order to give the defence access to the boys and he just chooses to ignore it? Surely the judge should order HIM to be arrested for that?
Another film I'd recommend in the same vein is Indictment which is excellent.
In one scene the mother (the ever gorgeous Virginia Madsen) asks can the police just come into your home and take your kids away? And the answer of course is that if they have reason to believe you're abusing them then of course they can. But this was at a time when it was considered that children couldn't lie about such things and people didn't realise how they could be easily lead and influenced during interviews. It's also a good example of the importance of independence in the judicial system, the prosecutors desperate to please public opinion by getting convictions and then reconsidering when public opinion shifts in the opposite direction. Perhaps the scariest thing is when the prosecutor receives the court order to give the defence access to the boys and he just chooses to ignore it? Surely the judge should order HIM to be arrested for that?
Another film I'd recommend in the same vein is Indictment which is excellent.
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- Joxerlives
- Jun 20, 2016
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