Within These Walls

The fact that a Lesbian was portrayed as the principal "bad-guy" is in poor taste and certainly inappropriate. It shows the continuance of mass-media homophobia. I am shocked that gifted actors such as Ellen Burstyn and Laura Dern would be willing to be in a film that portrayed their fellow females in such a degrading way. The fact that a prisoner is cruel to an animal is sufficient in itself to make her a bad person. Just adding the fact that this bad person is also a Lesbian bull duke on the make has nothing to do with the plot. This person could have been just a nasty Black if you want to take on another social inappropriate designation.

Could have been a better film if they had stayed with fact. The real story of these women is interesting, dramatic, and stories the disabled who received the dogs would make for a more human film. Professionals trained the inmates even though Sister Pauline's efforts made a difference.

While Hallmark Entertainment is one of the companies that produced this film, it does not suffer from the "Hallmark" stigma of being cloying and artificial. From what I can tell (not having had any experience with the situations depicted in the film except dog ownership), it seems very realistic (even if it's not 100% true to the real-life story it's based on, per another commenter). Conflicts that are introduced don't go away as if a magic wand were waved, and characters that struggle have to keep on struggling. Because of this depiction of grey areas rather than black & white contrasts, and the fact that things don't come for free, the movie is much more touching than its manipulative tear-jerker TV movie cousins.

Heh. It's funny, within a few days time I saw "Girls In Prison" (1994) (TV) and then this film. It'd be tough to make two more different "women behind bars" films than these two, in terms of realism, dramatic quality, acting, and meaningfulness.

Anyway, if you're a fan of Laura Dern, a dog lover, a person interested in an apparently realistic yet not gratuitously gritty look at life in women's prison, or are a person who's skeptical that criminal rehabilitation programs can work, I can definitely recommend checking out this film.

This was one of those hokey, overbaked dramas meant to bring a tear to the eye. It just make mine want to close in a deep sleep. Not that it was a total boring loser, but the idea of a group of hardened criminals turning into loving, decent folks so quickly after contact with Rover was a tad hard to swallow. I don't doubt that the events were based on fact, I merely feel it was played out in an unbelievable and corny fashion.

there are many underrated movies out there, and 'Within These Walls' is one of them. despite a previous comment about 'homophobia' and giving this film one star, this is a rather good movie to watch. a dramatic portrayal of the inside of a women's prison and the character transformations that occur through an inmate rehab program, that trains dogs to assist the handicapped.truly an inspirational movie about the power of a bond between animal and human and how it can have an impact on the human soul and spirit. it's a strong movie, based on the life of Pauline Quinn, a nun who came from an abusive past, who found hope and purpose through the love of a dog. the strength and determination of Sister Pauline Quinn and the success of the dog training program, helped turn some inmates' lives around, a great achievement.