Losing Isaiah

Losing Isaiah
Losing Isaiah
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stephen Gyllenhaal
Screenplay by	Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal
Based on	Losing Isaiah; by Seth Margolis
Produced by	Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal; Hawk Koch
Starring	Jessica Lange; Halle Berry; David Strathairn; Cuba Gooding Jr.; Samuel L. Jackson;
Cinematography	Andrzej Bartkowiak
Edited by	Harvey Rosenstock
Music by	Mark Isham
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	March 17, 1995 (United States);
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$17 million
Box office	$7.6 million

Losing Isaiah is a 1995 American drama film starring Jessica Lange and Halle Berry, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. It is based on the novel of the same name by Seth Margolis. The screenplay is written by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal. The original music score is composed by Mark Isham.

Plot

Khaila Richards (Halle Berry is an African-American woman struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine. Desperate for drugs, she places her infant son, Isaiah, in a box and leaves him in an alley behind a crack house. She promises to come back for him later but passes out from the drugs. The next day, Isaiah narrowly escapes death by the garbage truck and is rushed rushed to the hospital, where doctors discover that he is also addicted to crack cocaine because of his mother was using it while she was pregnant with him. Khaila later awakens and returns to the alley where she left Isaiah and is horrified to discover that he is gone.

While caring for Isaiah, social worker Margaret Lewin, (Jessica Lange), a white social worker, grows increasingly fond of him. Eventually she adopts Isaiah and brings him home to live with her, her husband, Charles (David Strathairn), and their daughter, Hannah. Meanwhile, Khaila is caught shoplifting and sent to rehab, unaware Isaiah is still alive.

Three years later, Khaila successfully completes her treatment and confesses to her case worker that she abandoned Isaiah in the alley. Without Khaila’s knowledge, the case worker investigates further and discovers that Isaiah is alive and was adopted by the Lewins. They hire a lawyer, Kadar Lewis (Samuel L. Jackson) to contest the adoption and help Khaila regain custody of him. An ugly court battle ensues with racial and social issues at forefront. Laila’s lawyer argues that Isaiah belongs with his biological mother and that the Lewins lack cultural awareness and are unequipped to raise him to understand his culture. The Lewins argue Kaihla is unfit due to her past drug addiction, abandoning Isaiah, and her limited education and financial resources. In the end, the judge makes the difficult decision to overturn the adoption and return Isaiah to Khaila’s custody, much to the Lewins' horror and sadness.

After weeks pass, Isaiah does not consider Khaila his mother and struggles to adapt to the home she has created for him. He becomes increasingly withdrawn and prone to violent public outbursts. Eventually, Khaila, desperate for Isaiah's happiness, asks Margaret to return to Isaiah’s life on a temporary basis; however, she insists she will also continue to be involved for the foreseeable future. The two mothers embrace each other, both proclaiming their equally strong motherly love for Isaiah. The two mothers then begin together playing building blocks with their beloved boy in a classroom.

Cast

Jessica Lange as Margaret Lewin
Halle Berry as Khaila Richards
David Strathairn as Charles Lewin
Cuba Gooding Jr. as Eddie Hughes
Samuel L. Jackson as Kadar Lewis
Daisy Eagan as Hannah Lewin
Marc John Jefferies as Isaiah
Joie Susannah Lee as Marie
Regina Taylor as Gussie
La Tanya Richardson as Caroline Jones
Jacqueline Brookes as Judge Silbowitz
Donovon Ian H. McKnight as Amir
Rikkia A. Smith as Josie
Deanna Dunagan as Dr. Goldstein

Production note

Susan Sarandon turned down the role of Margaret Lewin.^[2]

Reception

Losing Isaiah received mostly negative reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 45% based on 29 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Losing Isaiah makes an admirable attempt to tackle complex, worthwhile themes, but loses sight of effective storytelling during a descent into melodrama."

References

^ "Losing Isaiah". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
^ "Conversation with Susan Sarandon" (Interview). Locarno Film Festival. August 8, 2005. Event occurs at 16:33 – via YouTube.

External links

[1] "Losing Isaiah". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

[2] "Conversation with Susan Sarandon" (Interview). Locarno Film Festival. August 8, 2005. Event occurs at 16:33 – via YouTube.

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