Gardens doesn't always hit its desired mark of profundity. It's a wobbly plunge into grotesque acts of inhuman violation, with the patchy acting often blocking the true horror on display.
Gardens of the Night (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:13
Fresh:7
Rotten:6
Average Rating:5.9/10
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Leslie (Gillian Jacobs), struggles with a hand to mouth existence on the streets of San Diego with only her childhood friend Donnie (Evan Ross) to look after her, both of them trying to cope with... Leslie (Gillian Jacobs), struggles with a hand to mouth existence on the streets of San Diego with only her childhood friend Donnie (Evan Ross) to look after her, both of them trying to cope with the trauma of having been abducted and held captive by two men nine years earlier. As an eight-year-old girl, Leslie (Ryan Simpkins) was abducted through trickery by an older man Alex (Tom Arnold), and his young accomplice Frank (Kevin Zegers). Leslie was held captive in their house along with an eight-year-old boy named Donnie, who believed his mentally unstable mother, sold him to Alex. The children create a bond with each other managing to escape into a fantasy world they create in their bedroom. Years later Leslie and Donnie, now seventeen years old, are living as street-kids and struggling to cope with what they suffered through, having been affected by the experience differently. Donnie’s feelings for Leslie are those of any teenager in love, however Leslie's perception of love has been severely mutated through her relationship with Alex and her instinct is to run from Donnie. Can she not only survive this horrific experience, but be set free from it's terrible shackles? --© Official Site [More]
Starring: Gillian Jacobs, Tom Arnold, John Malkovich, Harold Perrineau
Starring: Gillian Jacobs, Tom Arnold, John Malkovich, Harold Perrineau
Director: Damian Harris
Director: Damian Harris
Screenwriter: Damian Harris
Reviews for Gardens of the Night
Do these heartbreaking stories exist in the real world? Yes, yes, they do. Does dramatizing these stories with nothing to add except a certain cruel wallowing in the existence of unspeakable human depravity serve any real purpose? No, no, it does not.
"Gardens of the Night" is a powerful and provoking film about a disturbing and all too real subject. There's a bitterness here that will not go away.
The tendency to exploit lurid material for dramatic purposes is something [director Harris] can't avoid.
Writer-director Jared Harris (and actor and son of the late Richard Harris) claims to have spent 10 years researching this sordid milieu, yet, for all the detail, it ends up playing like an especially lurid '80s TV movie.
Gardens of the Night is a harrowing story of kidnapping and forced child prostitution that conjures a world entirely populated by predators and prey.
Good acting and sincere direction by Damian Harris act as beacons to light the haunting corridors of an underworld spook house.
Ferociously queasy-making for its first half before flatlining into banality.
A haunting tale which very convincingly conveys the overwhelming sense of helplessness and dread which undoubtedly afflicts impressionable souls unfortunate enough to be sexually exploited while still in the bloom of youth.
The film never quite recovers from writer-director Damian Harris's dithering way of shooting things.
Tom Arnold turns in a solid performance as a "nice guy" who abducts children.
Latest News for Gardens of the Night
March 22, 2009:
A profoundly disturbing, super-realistic examination of pedophilia not to be screened on an empty stomach. ![]()
More...
October 20, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
More Movies
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Gardens of the Night at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

