For the Love of a Child

I have rarely seen ANYTHING that moved me as much as "For the Love of a Child." Based on the true story of Childhelp International and the two women who founded it, this film brought tears to my eyes (and I rarely cry at movies -- show me a "tear-jerker" with an overannuated actress dying of a fatal disease to the accompaniment of treacly string music and my eyes remain dry every time). This film works on every level: a sensitive script by Duane Poole that showcased both the depths of depravity and the heights of nobility that we humans are capable of; quiet, understated direction by Douglas Barr, who trusted the story to tell itself without gimmicks or visual trickery; and acting by a remarkable ensemble cast who vividly brought these people to life. David McNally's performance as the abusive stepdad is one of the most intense portraits of controlled evil I've seen on screen, but the real "star" of this movie is Matthew Knight, the remarkable child actor who played Jacob and brought all his moods and emotions to vivid life. One wonders how Douglas Barr got this performance out of him, and in particular just how much the director told him about abused children generally and the character specifically -- it's a marvelous acting job but I can't help but wonder whether the boy might be scarred just from having to act these scenes. The film is a tribute to the human spirit that a group such as Childhelp can exist -- even though it's also an all too accurate portrayal of the dark side of our natures that requires a group like Childhelp to exist in the first place. The editing between the current story and the flashbacks in the first hour occasionally gets confusing, but that's the only negative thing I'd have to say about this great film.

Based on the book written by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson ('Silence Broken'), this TV movie chronicles how both Sara and Yvonne went all the way to help kids who had been neglected.

The TV movie began with a young boy Jacob who tried to hide away from his abusive father as he tried to call the help centre. Though Jacob's father eventually found out where his son was, the help centre eventually managed to trace where the call was from. It was later known that the centre was managed by both Sara and Yvonne.

After Jacob was being brought to the centre, Sara and Yvonne reminisced about the time when they performed back in Tokyo and the event which changed their life. The two ladies knew after their encounter with the homeless kids on the streets of Tokyo that helping neglected kids was something they can do.

The movie changes between the current times and the time when Sara and Yvonne trying very hard to push their cause across to the relevant authorities in the country to some of the cases in the movie like especially two children by the name of Laura and Michael other than Jacob.

Sometimes it's just scary to hear and watch of cases of child abuse. But then it's just true that there are always such cases out there. The TV movie can really pull the heartstrings.

I saw this movie and thought that it was very good, but really sad,I also thought that the kids who acted in the movie were really good, and that that was a nice thing that those ladies did for the abused kids and the orphans. I also think that what the parents did to their kids was awful like the mom who burned her and the father who hit his son and yelled at him and said mean things to him. I wouldn't ever do that to my kids or let my husband or any other person do that them because that is awful and those parents in the movie were mean to them when they did that. I would watch that movie again because it is good and really informational.

I was unforgettable as "guy in the crowd who claps, and also waves his hat."

Still waiting on the Academy for that Oscar, but I've been blacklisted from extra work for 18 years, so it's probably politically motivated.

I have been anticipating watching this movie for a month and it was beyond my expectations of a lifetime movie. The acting was superior (Gilpin, Polo and the child actors). This movie follows two women (Gilpin and Polo) on their journey to help children around the world. Through their journey of orphans and abused children they stumble across Jacob, an severely abused child,whose story makes the movie touching and meaningful. The movie can get a little confusing at times because they do switch from one decade to another, as long as you're paying attention you'll understand what is going on. The movie was a great awakening of what some children are living through and that people can really change the world for others.