Review by Grant Wallace, WestGA.edu

Issue date: 4/1/09 Section: Arts and Entertainment

In the vein of Happiness and Mysterious Skin, child prostitution has been transferred from a taboo and forbidden means into some of the most revealing and disturbing films of our generation. With Gardens of the Night, a even more unsettling and dark tone is taken on, utilizing the twenty years of research from director Damian Harris and the disconcerting past of a similar situation that happened with actor Tom Arnold. Needless to say, this film isn't for the faint hearted.

If there's one topic that will forever hold the most elusive and mysterious conception for a film's script, child pornography is by far the most dared. Everyone involved in the participation of a film of this magnitude is subject to immense scrutiny, but from an artistic standpoint, I can only watch these kinds of films with a half sided judgment because I know these kinds of things actually happen. I needed to preface this because from a reviewer's point of view, you have to taken everything I say with a grain of salt.

With that said, I want to reiterate Tom Arnold's character again. In an interview with WENN News, Arnold comments that when he was four years old, his 19-year-old male babysitter started to molest him and continued to for another three years. In the film, Arnold portrays that exact kind of pedophile, older in age but with the same intentions as he, with his "partner" Frank (Kevin Zegers), trick a young girl into coming home with them.

Prior to knowing this history about Arnold, I felt sick to my stomach, as everything done by Arnold and Zegers seemed like it had been done before. Arnold even wore the same clothes as his molester in the movie to get into full character. Unlike the aforementioned films, Gardens reaches a new level of sadistic proportions, almost giving a step-by-step guide of how to smartly and diligently make an 8 year old girl not only believe what you say but also believe that it's okay to do these kinds of perverted things.

The truth in these lies is too uncomfortable to even begin to analyze as young actress Ryan Simpkins played a role not meant for children to ever experience. But like I said earlier, I can only comment on this to a certain point so artistic integrity isn't compromised although, I do know that Simpkins and the other children involved were told different stories to play to make it more understandable/reasonable for them. As Simpkins grows up, the story flashes forward 9 years to her at 17 now played by actress Gillian Jacobs (Cherry Daquiri from Choke.)

The film is split up into two different time periods, which is why Harris had taken nearly two decades to write this. Harris had been molested at an early age as well, another reason I couldn't stomach some parts of the film, as it all seemed too real to be true.

Harris has won a few awards at film festivals for the movie but as expected, the subject matter has held it back from publicity it deserves. Gardens of the Night is now out on DVD.

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