Free of Eden

"Free of Eden" is the story of one young African-American woman's determined escape from the ghetto through enlightenment and education. Although the film gets sidetracked periodically, it never derails and stays focused on the principals, Sidney Poitier's character, the teacher; his real life daughter Sydney's character, the pupil; and their inspiring and heartwarming story. A movie with a message and time well spent.

"Free of Eden" is one of several made for TV movies Sidney Poitier made just before he retired from acting. This one must have been very special to him, as his co-star in the film is his daughter, Sydney Tamiia Poitier!

Nicole (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) is a teen who's dropped out of school and is living in Eden, a project in Brooklyn. Crime and poverty is all around her...and she just witnessed the senseless murder of two people at work! Now, without a job and filled with dissatisfaction with her lot in life, she approaches an icon in the black community, Will Cleamons (Sidney Poitier). She wants him to help teach her...but what and what is the ultimate goal, she has no idea. At first, he isn't interested. After all, he was a teacher but gave it up long ago. But she is persistent and eventually he agrees to tutor her...with the aim at bettering her and making her more aware of the world.

In some ways, this movie reminds me of the Sean Connery film, "Finding Forrester". It, too, is about a young black person going no where with their lives...and a mentor who helps guide them towards something better.

So did I enjoy "Free of Eden"? Yes. While I thought it perhaps had too many subplots which took away from the interaction between the two leads, the acting was sensational and the story compelling. In other words, it ain't perfect...but it's still very good.

A well told tale of gritty determination well acted by Sidney Poitier and Sydney Poitier.

The setup grips the viewer early in the story and follows through to the end, realistic characters and dialogue with magical chemistry between Poitier and daughter, Sydney. The viewing public is going to see much more of this budding, young actress. Rashad shows us her seldom-seen, rich dramatic talent. Much credit to the direction and camera for some intriguing angles seldom seen before. Above all, this movie carries a message for everybody. It is a story about something!!

Sorry, but the highest vote I could manage for this movie was a seven. I'm not aware of any other offerings by Sydney Tamiia Poitier, but I was impressed with her performance, thought disappointed that she didn't have the "project" look or sound. Some slang, some profanity, a lack of education but not enough spelled out in the script to be totally convincing- that she had a long way to climb. That shortcoming is the fault of the script and the director. In terms of her acting, though, I felt she gave a very good performance if this was her first time in a lead role for a motion picture. I also liked Phylicia Rashad's performance as well. I felt the story was nicely woven together- mixing Nicole (Sydney), Will Clemons (Sidney Poitier), Teresa (Naomi Gaskin) and Desiree (Phylicia) together to reach a common goal. Overall, after anyone watches this movie, they should be able to leave wondering what contributions can they make to improve not only their own lives, but what influence can they also have on others. You can definitely rise from the couch on a high note with this movie.