Losing Isaiah - Movie Review Example

Losing Isaiah The movie Losing Isaiah was selected due to its rich content in portraying the themes of racial stereotyping, social injustices and interracial adoption in the American society. The movie covers these themes and brings out how the black and white races in American history have acquired their stereotypic characteristics that best define them. In addition, the movie has extended and covered themes of social injustices that are widely spread in the community, and largely linked to the racial characteristics. The movie provides an exciting dynamics on how some people in the society might be prepared to go an extra mile and ignore these racial stereotypes by neglecting social work values in caring for humanity despite their racial characteristics. This leads to a heated confrontation between two women from two different races with interracial adoption issues being portrayed in this scenario. Synopsis Two women from entirely different economic, social and racial backgrounds are involved in a bitter child custody dispute in an emotionally powerful drama. Khailia Richards (Halle Berry) is presented as a poor drug-addicted single mother who accidentally leaves her son in a cardboard box near a trash heap as she comes from a crack house. The next morning, Khailia comes to her senses and realizes that she left her baby behind the previous night and runs back to the crack house to look for him. The baby is, however, missing and after hours of searching for him, she assumed that the baby had been already dead. However, by sheer luck, it had happened that the baby had been spotted by a social worker Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange) and had been rushed to the hospital and was safe. At this moment, the baby suffers from illnesses brought about by neglect from his drug-addicted mother and the educational problems that are associated with children whose mothers heavily used cocaine during pregnancy. Margaret, therefore, adopts Isaiah with the help of her husband Charles (David Strathirn). Four years later, Khailia had undergone a rehabilitation program and had a steady job as a nanny. At this moment, Khailia learns that Isaiah is still alive and she quickly hires an attorney, Kadar Lewis (Samuel L. Jackson) to help her reclaim her child. Margaret, however, loves this child and is not prepared to let her go without a court battle. Analysis The movie Losing Isaiah presents several themes regarding the American society. Largely, the movie provides a linkage that well defined between the social problems such as “drug abuse, poverty child abandonment, substandard housing and healthcare, and some forms of institutional racism” (Anderson et al, 2005). Khailia is a representation of the effects of the above practices, and stands for most blacks in the American society. This class of people has a high poverty level, which is worsened by their drug habits that not only affect their social lives, but also degrade their social living conditions as an essential aspect of humanity. This is observed in Isaiah where the child was diagnosed with multiple illnesses related to negligence and assimilating cocaine while in the uterus, meaning that the mother had no precaution concerning the health of the baby during and after pregnancy. This is a form of a social injustice, where children suffer most as result of parents’ irresponsible behavior such as indulging in drugs and other vices. This movie presents a negative stereotype that is widely held regarding black mothers giving birth and the children end up in state care (Wegar, 2006). Presenting a black mother as too negligent as to leave her baby near a garbage heap as a result of drugs abuse not only stereotypes the blacks as having severe social and family disconnection, but labels them as people whose love for drug goes beyond their care for families and results in social disconnection. This leads to numerous problems to an extent that the care of their families is not enough, and usually the children are under well-wishers (mostly the whites) and the government that bears the burden of taking care of the weak. The use of Lewin stereotypes the white as family oriented people of high class and self-esteem. There is a distinction between the economic and social status of the two women, and this may portray the differences between the white and black classes of people in the American society. The social identity and esteem are perceived in the adoptive family that lives in completed isolation from any peer relationship with any “African-American, which is true for many American white families, but defies the concept of having an interracial adoption” (Wegar, 2006). The issue of interracial adoption in the movie is the most important part that captures the theme of the movie. The importance of this theme in this movie is that several questions are raised. The first one is whether it is cultural genocide to allow interracial adoption in the society, and the second one is the role of judicial system in the adoption decision involving these cases. There is a link between the values, ethics and professional actions in child welfare policy and practice that is addressed in this film, while at the same time addressing the relationship between the “neighborhoods in the cities, and the prevalence of drug abuse and crimes” (Anderson et al, 2005). In the court, the mother’s birthrights, middle- class opportunity and mothering competency are weighted and the court is not convinced by any of the parties and decides to place the child under state’s care. In most cases, when the mother cannot take adequate care of the child after being given the custody, they go to the adoptive mother and ask for help in parenting the child. This is an informal adoption between the two in a movie that is portrayed as “the best interests of the child” (Wegar, 2006). The film portrays the weaknesses in interracial adoptive laws in the society, but still gives a glimpse on how the laws relating to the adoptive families have improved “as compared to most post 1970s adoption research” (Wegar, 2006). The decision not to consider the ability of the adoptive mother in taking care of the child and deciding to settle on state’s care is a reflection of these adoptive laws. The decision of the court to peg the mother’s birthrights against her ability to offer her children a favorable growing atmosphere is questionable. In addition, the film presents another dimension regarding racial identity and social classes. Though racism has not been eradicated today as most whites disapprove the intermarriage between the whites and blacks (Romano, 2003), Romeo further elaborates that at least 5 % of Americans marry outside their races, and mixed race births have increased by 26% as compared to other births. Therefore, serious attention on these racial dynamics by those wishing to understand the “present” and “future society” is urgently required (Korgen, 1998). These dynamics are portrayed in this movie as the war between class and race, where the state intervenes and no one wins, meaning that racial superiority in the society has no direction. Interesting as Wegar (2006) argues, the movie premiered a year before the passage of the first laws that remoaved any barriers regarding interracial adoption. Conclusion From the movie and the key themes of the American society dynamics have been articulated in huge differences in economic classes that led to differences in the social life. The movie also portrays how, despite the racial hegemony and antitrust, some families have the ethics and humanity to go beyond this racial discrimination to offer help where it is needed most and begin the process of interracial adoption that had been riddled with suspicion and antitrust in the society. The role of the state in such cases is also learned through watching this movie. Through the assignment, I learned the importance of human values and ethics that I have despite the social, economic, political or any difference that might be prevalent in the society. Besides, I am not well informed regarding adoption laws in the US and how they have been shaped by history. References Anderson, D., Langer C., Furman R., & Bender K., (2005). Using films to teach social welfare policy. Advances in Social Work, 6(2), 251-262 Gyllenhaal, S. (Director). (2003). Losing Isaiah. [Motion picture]. Retrieved from http://www.moviefone.com/movie/losing-isaiah/1163/synopsis Korgen, K. (1998). From Black to biracial: Transforming racial identity among Americans. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Romano, R. (2003). Race mixing: Black-White marriage in postwar America. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press. Wegar K., (2006). Adoptive families in a diverse society. NJ: Rutgers University Press. Read More