''God Bless the Child'' is a 1988

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, directed by Lary Elikann. It depicts the struggle of homelessness and the perpetual

cycle of poverty In economics, a cycle of poverty or poverty trap is caused by self-reinforcing mechanisms that cause poverty, once it exists, to persist unless there is outside intervention. It can persist across generations, and when applied to developing count ...

and how it affects people, and tells the story of the sacrifices of a single mother, Theresa Johnson (played by Mare Winningham), in hope of a better life for her daughter, Hillary Johnson (played by Grace Johnston).

Plot

Theresa Johnson is a single mother, who was abandoned by her unemployed husband some time after her daughter, Hillary, was born. The two live in a cramped apartment in the inner-city, within walking distance to Hillary's school and Theresa's workplace. The occupants of the apartment complex Theresa and her daughter live in are all notified of their eviction due to the city tearing down the apartments. Theresa has nowhere to go. Theresa clocks out of work early to look for a place for her and her daughter to live, but is fired the next day for leaving early. The two go from homeless shelter to homeless shelter, trying to find a place to stay. Often they sleep on the streets. At one shelter Theresa meets outreach worker Calvin Reed, who finds another place for Theresa to stay, while she receives welfare aid. The house is filthy and infested with rats. Theresa and Hillary settle into their new home, and the life of their neighboring family, the Watkins, is explored. The Watkins are a poor African-American family who live in a house not much different from Theresa and Hillary. The father of the family, Raymond Watkins, abandoned the house long ago "because I am worth more to them gone than there" and doesn't pay

child support Child support (or child maintenance) is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child (or parent, caregiver, guardian) following the end of a marriage or other similar relationship. Child maintenance is paid d ...

. He is deeply hurt by this failure. The family receives welfare but can't afford anything other than necessities, and goes hungry during the "fourth week," or the end of the month when most families have run out of food stamps. The son, Richard Watkins, hopes to break the cycle of poverty that has plagued their family, by being the first person in their family to graduate from high school. Theresa has just been evicted from her house by her confrontational landlord, after reporting the state of her house and the rat infestation to the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

. Hilary contracts lead poisoning while living in the housing project while Theresa's landlord evicts her after she complains to the Health Department. Soon they return to the shelter, and Hillary's condition worsens and she collapses in the restroom. At the local hospital, Theresa is told by Hillary's doctor that if she contracts lead poisoning again, it can cause severe health and development problems. Since Theresa and Hillary have been forced to travel between shelters the cause of Hillary's lead poisoning can't be traced. Because of a lack of a steady home, Theresa cannot guarantee Hillary's safety. Theresa consults Mr. Reed and concludes that the only way Hillary can live a healthy, normal life, free from poverty, is by giving her up. The only way this can happen immediately is if Hillary is abandoned. Theresa makes the decision to take Hillary to the park and leaves her for Mr. Reed to pick up. Before leaving her, she gives her a heart necklace and tells her that every time she looks at it she should remember that she loves her. When she leaves, Mr. Reed and another social worker take Hillary away, and the story ends with Theresa alone in the park, crying, as Hillary can still be heard crying for her mother. Before the credits start, the statement "32.5 million people live in poverty in the United States, today. 13 million of them are children." is shown.

Cast

Mare Winningham A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

as Theresa Johnson *Grace Johnston as Hillary Johnson * L. Scott Caldwell as Althea Watkins *

Obba Babatundé Obba Babatundé (born Donald Cohen; December 1, 1951) is an American actor. A native of Queens, New York City, he has appeared in more than seventeen stage productions, thirty theatrical films, sixty made-for-television films, and two prime-time ...

as Raymond Watkins *

Dorian Harewood Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Jesse Owens in '' The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984), Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003). E ...

as Calvin Reed *Jennifer Leigh Warren as Sharee Watkins *Davenia McFadden as Kathleen *

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

as Richard Watkins *Jose Soto as Bobby Gifford *Shawana Kemp as Tracy Watkins *

Charlayne Woodard Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard (born December 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actress. She is a two-time Obie Award winner as well as a Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. She was a series regular on the hit FX TV series Pose. She played ...

as Chandra Watkins *Akuyoe Graham as Charlesletta *Nicholas Podbrey as Kenny *Brenda Denmark as Elizabeth *

Kate Lynch Kate Lynch (born June 29, 1959) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress, drama teacher, theatre director and playwright. Biography In 1980 she won the Genie Award for Best Actress for ''Meatballs''. She was notably adept at improvisation ...

as Carrie

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0095227, God Bless the Child 1988 television films 1988 films 1988 drama films Canadian drama television films English-language Canadian films Films about dysfunctional families Films about homelessness American drama television films Films directed by Larry Elikann 1980s American films 1980s Canadian films 1980s English-language films