Custody (2016)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 104 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: James Lapine
Stars: Viola Davis, Hayden Panettiere and Catalina Sandino Moreno
IMDb score:
6,5 (1.359)
Releasedate: 17 April 2016
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Custody plot
Sara, a young single mother of two, finds herself embroiled in a custody battle when her son's teacher calls Child Protective Services regarding a cut over his eye. Martha Schulman, a haunted judge struggles with a 23-year marriage to Jason, and discovers it's impossible to separate work and home. Recently graduated law student Alexandra Fisher is assigned to Sara's case, which brings back bad memories. In addition, there is the recent death of a young girl as a result of the failing system.
Actors and actresses
Martha Schulman
Ally Fischer
Sara Diaz
Jason Schulman
Beatrice Fisher
Luis Sanjuro
Keith Denholz
Anger Management Charley
Reviews & comments
Movsin
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- 8451 messages
- 8499 votes
A mother deemed incompetent by Child Protective Services, a judge with marital problems, a lawyer who reopens an old pedophilia case, a criminal father who suddenly appears on the scene and lets his good heart speak, nasty reports on TV and radio ..., admit it, it is quite a lot to handle well and credibly in one film. It all seems so artificially thrown together and presented in such an American way—that is, without real villains. The result is a rather mediocre spectacle in which not a single actor is truly convincing, let alone manages to lift the film out of the doldrums.
A little under 3.
Translated from Dutch · View original
K. V.
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- 4453 messages
- 3833 votes
I watched this one and it wasn't bad. A courtroom drama, but still quite watchable. It never gets too dramatic, although there is certainly enough drama on display. The cast did a fine job and the film looked good otherwise.
He didn't see it win the Oscar for Best Picture, but I wasn't bored by it either.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dievegge
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- 3230 messages
- 8327 votes
In this courtroom drama, the dialogue takes center stage, but various social milieus in New York are also depicted. Sara lives in an overcrowded apartment building filled with noise, stench, filth, and drugs. The Fishers live in a lavish villa with a chandelier, draperies, and a gold-rimmed mirror. The judge sits on a platform, towering over Sara and radiating authority. It is not a criminal court, but a juvenile court. Ironically, this means a much harsher sentence hangs over her head, as she could lose her children.
The trigger is the hysteria surrounding the news of a dead baby. Child protection workers are overreacting and are suddenly viewing a child with a few scratches as a possible case of abuse. In Sara's son's case, it was merely an unfortunate incident, but as a single mother from a working-class background, she is being targeted.
Three women with very different backgrounds are followed. Sara has to work hard for low wages and raise two children on her own. The judge and the pro bono lawyer are two career women who seem to have their affairs in order, but it turns out they have problems in their private lives as well. They must be careful not to bring their private problems to work and vice versa. The men are often jerks: an absent father, an unfaithful husband, and a child molester.
The three actresses themselves have very different backgrounds, but all three perform very well. Viola Davis plays the experienced, wise woman. Hayden Panettiere plays the aspiring lawyer who did well on her exams but still struggles to build a bond with a client from a different background. Colombian Catalina Sandino has frequently played Latin women facing difficulties. Director and screenwriter James Lapine, who has extensive experience in theater, has produced a gripping drama incorporating important social and legal themes.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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