Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

I'd never heard of the film and by the end was in tears. The lead character Leslie is brilliantly acted. Don't expect feel good. The film should be seen by all caring people. Child abduction is evil. Knowing that intellectually is one thing but seeing the reality of it is necessary for people to put an end to it.The film is a heart breaker

Damian Harris directs/writes this sad and eye opening drama. At the age of eight, Leslie Whitehead(Ryan Simpkins)is kidnapped by a scheming man named Alex(Tom Arnold)and his young partner Frank(Kevin Zegers). Alex will tell the girl that her parents no longer want her and can have a better life without her. She and another victim named Donnie(Jermaine Scooter Smith)are forced into child prostitution and pornography. The two will try to cope by pretending they are in an imaginary world based on The Jungle Book. After about nine years of horror the two are dumped on the streets. Now Leslie(Gillian Jacobs)and Donnie(Evan Ross) have only each other to depend on. They will survive the streets the best they know how...prostitution. Thanks to a shelter counselor(John Malkovich), Leslie tries to return to her parents. But will this be a success? The teen will wonder if Donnie just disappeared or met mishap. Haunting, sad and disgraceful. The Harris bases GARDEN of the NIGHT on two years of personal research. Arnold is outstanding in the role. Also in the cast: Harold Perrineau, Jeremy Sisto and Landall Goolsby.

This movie is a must see for people who want to better understand the horrors of human trafficking that's happening right under our noses. It's hauntingly beautiful, the acting is done extremely well. The child actors gave an amazing job despite their young age, when most children don't understand that trafficking has a much darker meaning then driving a car. It's not for people who have to have a happy ending, but the realistic plot is what I think makes it such a good film. Where some directors would go for the wow factor and show the horrible things done to the victims, especially minors, this director did not. He displayed it in a way where you understand what's happening enough to leave it up to the imagination, which in my opinion makes it even more haunting. The most amazing part of the movie is how despite the darkness of the plot happiness still shines through. The part where the two leads are dancing together in a moment of freedom and happiness is one of the most heartwarming scenes I have ever seen. The relationship between the two leads as a whole is amazing. One of my all time favorite movies, 10/10!!

Drama about San Diego streetwalkers Jacobs and Ross and how they came to be through years of sexual abuse. Brave, disturbing and insightful, yet strangely ceases to be thought-provoking—it pretty much is what it is. Tom Arnold is standout in possibly the best role of his career, not to mention Perrineau pulling the audience into Hell with just one unforgettably disturbing scene. Suffers from the FULL METAL JACKET-effect, where the first act easily tops the second act—and something is askew when the child actors (Simpkins and Smith) are easily stronger than the adult actors playing the same characters (Jacobs and Ross). The romantic undertones between the two leads are interesting, but nonetheless questionable as it distracts and interrupts more important conflicts at hand.**½ (out of four)