Kids Don't Tell

Michael Ontkean made a number of bad movies after The Rookies (tv series). This is not one of them.

As an incest survivor I am grateful for any movie that talks about child abuse without using the children in a prurient way -- as Larry Clark does. This is an appropriately-acted movie that shows how truly rotten pedophiles are and how little the justice system cares. I wish that it had gotten some sort of public attention so that more of the ignorant world would wake up.

Watched this film many years ago and it was terrific. Rewatched it recently and was disappointed because it was the PG version and missed out many of the most intense and important scenes, the interview with the arrested paedophile, the rows between the husband and wife because the memories his research is bringing back have put her off sex, the plight of the child street hooker, the shocked mother relating how she discovered incest in her family, the paedophile support group meetings in which we see the human side of the offenders and not just the victims. In fact if you watch the PG version so much is missing it is quite baffling. Great performance from Michael Oatkean (and how HANDSOME he was!)and nice to see Jean Bruce Scott who was one of my favourites from Airwolf.

BUT.... Then we have that scene where we see the social worker interviewing the kid using puppets and anatomically correct dolls and the warning flags go up. Nowadays such techniques are totally discredited having been shown to induce false testimony from children, especially with zealous investigators like the detective portrayed here. Watch 'Just ask my children' and 'Indictment; The McMartin Trial' to see what happened AFTER this film was released, the hysteria coupled with flawed investigative techniques leading to families ripped apart and innocent people spending years in prison.

So yes, watch this terrific film but then watch 'Indictment' and 'Just Ask My Children'.