God Bless the Child (film)

God Bless the Child
Directed by	Larry Elikann
Written by	Dennis Nemec
Produced by	Andras Hamori Denis Héroux
Cinematography	Laszlo George
Edited by	Peter V. White
Music by	David Shire
Release date	21 March 1988
Running time	93 min.
Countries	Canada United States
Language	English

God Bless the Child is a 1988 film, directed by Lary Elikann. It depicts the struggle of homelessness and the perpetual cycle of poverty and how it affects people, and tells the story of the sacrifices of a single mother, Theresa Johnson (played by Mare Winningham), in hope of a better life for her daughter, Hillary Johnson (played by Grace Johnston).

Plot

Theresa Johnson is a single mother, who was abandoned by her husband soon after her daughter, Hillary, was born. The two live in a cramped apartment in the inner-city, within walking distance to Hillary's school and Theresa's workplace. After a week, the occupants of the apartment complex Theresa and her daughter live in are all notified of their eviction, as the land is being sold and the apartments are to be demolished. Theresa then has nowhere to go, and has no one to watch Hillary. Theresa clocks out of work early to help try and look for a place for her and her daughter to live, but is fired the next day for leaving early. The two then go from homeless shelter to homeless shelter, trying to find a place to stay. More often than not, they sleep on the streets. Theresa is contacted by outreach worker Calvin Reed (Dorian Harewood), who finds another place for Theresa to stay, while she lives off of welfare. The house is infested with rats, has no heating, and only enough electricity to power the refrigerator. Theresa and Hillary settle into their new home, and the life of their neighboring family, the Watkins, is explored. The Watkins are a poor African-American family who live in a house not much different from Theresa and Hillary. The family acts as a representative for many poverty-stricken families. The father of the family (Obba Babatundé) abandoned the house long ago and doesn't pay child-support. The family lives off of welfare but can't afford anything other than necessities, and goes hungry during the "fourth week," or the week when food-stamps are invalidated. The son, Richard Watkins (Mos Def), is the only hope for the family to break the cycle of poverty that has plagued their family, by being the first person in their family to graduate from High-School.

The story returns to Theresa, who has just been evicted from her house by her confrontational landlord, after reporting the state of her house and the rat infestation to the Department of Health. Theresa and Hillary stay in more shelters, but Hillary soon contracts lead-poisoning from the debilitated state of the shelters and poor food sanitation. At the local hospital, Theresa is told by Hillary's doctor that if she contracts lead-poisoning again, it may be fatal. In addition, homeless shelters won't take people in for more than a week, so Theresa and Hillary have been forced to hop between shelters, and the cause of Hillary's lead-poisoning can't be traced. This means that Theresa and Hillary can no longer stay at the Homeless Shelters. After consulting Mr. Reed, Theresa concludes that the only way Hillary can live a healthy, normal life, free from poverty, is by abandoning her. Theresa takes Hillary to the park they always go to, and leaves her for Mr. Reed to pick up. Mr. Reed and another social worker take Hillary away, to live a better life, and the story ends with Theresa alone in the park, crying, as Hillary can still be heard crying for her mother. "32 million people live in poverty in the United States, today. 13 million of them are children." is shown in total silence before the credits roll.

Cast

• Mare Winningham as Theresa Johnson
• Grace Johnston as Hillary Johnson
• L. Scott Caldwell as Althea Watkins
• Obba Babatundé as Raymond Watkins
• Dorian Harewood as Calvin Reed
• Jennifer Leigh Warren as Sharee Watkins
• Davenia McFadden as Kathleen
• Mos Def as Richard Watkins
• Jose Soto as Bobby Gifford
• Shawana Kemp as Tracy Watkins
• Charlayne Woodard as Chandra Watkins
• Akuyoe Graham as Charlesletta
• Nicholas Podbrey as Kenny
• Brenda Denmark as Elizabeth
• Kate Lynch as Carrie

References

• God Bless the Child at IMDb