Hidden in America

Thank goodness that satellite tv gave me a chance to see this movie, which otherwise, I presume, would have only been seen by American audiences. It is breathtaking in its reality and haunted me for days afterwards. When it was showing again a week later I could not face watching it again so soon, because it is emotionally draining. But I will most certainly watch it again at some point. Beau Bridges is superb as the father (and a good father at that) trying to cope with his family's descent into poverty and the childrens' performances are unbelievably good. It does not become corny or maudlin, which given the subject matter is an achievement. It is a lesson in life. It teaches us that poverty is not just in the huddled refugees camps or drought plagued deserts we see on our tv screens each night, but is right here in the midst of us, whether in the US or any other country. It is a very upsetting film, but turning in for the night after watching it I realized how lucky I am in life. And I would recommend especially to anyone who is feeling just a bit sorry for themselves

In between "Streetwise," "American Heart" and now "Hidden in America," I think I need to go on Prozac. Over the years director Martin Bell has proven himself master of ruining a person's day -- for some reason he seems mainly attracted to topics related to the poor, hopeless and downtrodden. The fact that his films are uniformly of high quality only makes the situations portrayed all the more depressing, but the verisimilitude of these films elevates them to something well above what mainstream Hollywood usually churns out.

Anyway, this film is well acted, fairly well scripted and covers its subject matter effectively. Jeff Bridges has a bit part as a doctor, and (as always) I would have liked to have seen more of him. The fact that this film is set is Seattle is meaningless; a story like this could really happen anywhere in America. 7/10

Great film that shows what happens to many people in America, but what the rest of the population wont see. This movie maybe get some thinking going for those who turn their heads or say "get a job" when someone "fail". There isn´t always a choice between being rich or poor, not everyone can succeed despite how hard they try, this movie shows that. Recommended for it´s story and the acting is good. It adds up to 5/10

This is quite enjoyable, and the cast is good, but it doesn't really tackle the issues at hand. Because it's coming from American so called "liberal" viewpoint, it refuses to take a real left wing stance on the real divisions between rich and poor. One of the characters refuses to take state welfare out of misguided pride, but doesn't talk about taxing the rich. The tension between the poor family and the rich family is there, but from my own experience of such relationships, it's simply not realistic.

Of course, I realise someone from a right wing perspective will criticise the characters, but the writer seems to have covered that, by having the father being a hard worker who gets made redundant etc.

This is a film that deals with real social issues, but doesn't offer a workable solution.

Hidden in America works both as a terrific film and as an advocate for child hunger. Beau Bridges leads the way with a very real performance of a single father trying to raise two kids after losing his wife to cancer and losing his job of 16 years at an automobile plant. Bridges character deals with feelings of inadequacy as he struggles to find work and properly raise his family. His pride also tested when he meets a doctor (Bruce Davidson) who wants to help the family and when he has to take donations to battle his daughter's malnutrition. The two kids in the film (Shelton Dane and Jean Malone) are great and Frances McDormand adds a nice touch as the rough but concerned mechanic who befriends the boy Robby. I highly recommend this movie which is now available on video.