Cries from the Heart
Encyclopedia
Cries from the Heart is a 1994
television film directed by Michael Switzer and starring Patty Duke
and Melissa Gilbert
, who had co-starred together in three prior films.
boy who is unable to speak or write. After an incident in which Michael wanders away from home to the local playground, Karen's ex-husband Roger realizes that Michael may need more specialized care than she can provide, and suggests Michael be enrolled in a special residential school
.
Reluctant to do so, Karen nonetheless agrees to visit the campus, where she meets with therapist Terry Wilson (Duke), who explains just how the program will be able to help Michael, which finally convinces Karen to enroll him, although she is put off by the school's requirement that she not visit for 6 weeks. Initially clashing with Terry's approach, Karen grudgingly comes to realize that the separation period is necessary for adjustment and takes a job at a local greenhouse. Meanwhile, Michael begins gradually making progress, learning such basics as tying his shoes, in addition to such chores as making his bed and helping prepare meals in the cottage he shares with his caretaker, Jeff.
Eventually, Terry suggests to Jeff and school head Eliot that they try a form of facilitated communication
: having Michael type his thoughts on a computer keyboard, with Terry guiding his hand. Eliot is reluctant, but Jeff is outright dismissive, claiming Michael's "not that bright" and "can't even spell." However, Eliot finally agrees to give Terry a one-month trial period with Michael (and only Michael) to see if it works.
Initially, Michael only types gibberish, but Terry keeps at it, and a breakthrough finally occurs when Karen comes for a visit and, in an emotional moment, he types a greeting of "MOM HI" to her, finally breaking his long silence.
Karen then asks Michael if he knows how much she loves him, to which he types "YES", and then he reveals something she had never known when he types "DAD GONE. I BRAK CAR. MY FALT" (referring to an incident the day Roger left, in which Michael had thrown a tantrum and broken the car window, thus proving that Terry is not actually typing for Michael, as there was no way she could have known about it), but Karen assures him this was not the reason for their divorce.
Later, Karen shares news of her first conversation with Michael to an initially skeptical Roger, admitting to having been wrong about Terry before and thanking him for recommending the school. After mentioning the revelation that Michael thought the divorce was his fault, Roger expresses guilt over having never explained the reason for his departure, but Karen assures him that she set Michael straight, and even if he's not convinced, he'll now be able to tell them. Things seem to be looking up, with Karen even receiving a pay raise at the greenhouse.
However, trouble soon looms over the horizon, after Jeff departs for a two-week vacation to Florida
. Michael begins having nightmares, acting out, neglecting his chores and becoming harder to handle. Needing some answers, Terry asks Michael why, to which he types out "JEFF." Initially thinking it's related to Jeff being away, Terry is surprised when Michael further clarifies this by typing "KEEP JEFF AWAY."
When asked why, Michael types out the unthinkable: "SEX". Informed that he had been sexually abused, an enraged Karen demands that Michael be pulled from the school, but he expresses his desire to remain there: "I STAY". After Jeff is arrested, a detective is dispatched to the school and questions Michael about the abuse; believing him to be credible, he comments to Terry on how "impressive" this form of communication is before leaving.
All is not well for Karen, however. Feeling hurt that Michael had put his trust in Terry rather than his own mother, and despite Roger's gratitude that Michael actually told someone about the abuse, Karen has suddenly cut off all contact, not returning phone calls or showing up for visits and shutting herself up in the house.
Finally, Terry pays her a visit and explains that despite all the school has accomplished for Michael, he still needs Karen in his life, and that it's important for them to work together. This gets her to come around, and as they prepare for trial (an uphill battle, not helped by the double whammy of the court's reluctance to use facilitated communication to provide testimony
and the fact that Jeff recanted his confession
), Karen stresses to Terry how important it is that she help Michael "find his voice" in court.
After being established as a credible witness
, Michael gets through questioning by the district attorney
with no problem, but when cross-examined by Jeff's attorney, he has an episode on the witness stand, forcing the judge to call a recess. While the defense calls for a mistrial, a compromise is reached: another cross-examination will take place in a separate area, relayed back to the courtroom via closed-circuit TV, and without the presence of Jeff.
Asked by Karen if he wants to try again, Michael types "I CAN DO IT MOM", and the trial proceeds. Things go smoother this time, and in the end, Jeff is found guilty
of performing a lewd act upon a child. Karen then relays the good news to Michael, who types "WE WON" after hearing it.
The film ends with Karen and Terry watching Michael play, Terry commenting that they still have a long way to go with him, but Karen assures her, "we'll go together. We're a good team."
feared low ratings because another made-for-TV film, Kelsey Grammer
's The Innocent, premiered the same night. It was pushed back three weeks. Upon its release, the film was criticized for its portrayal of an autistic child, but young Bradley Pierce
received praise from all critics.
During the late 1990s and 2000s, the film was frequently rerun on Lifetime and its sister channel Lifetime Movie Network
, and received a DVD
release from MPI Home Video
in 2007, as part of its "True Stories Collection".
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
television film directed by Michael Switzer and starring Patty Duke
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
and Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
, who had co-starred together in three prior films.
Plot
Karen Barth (Gilbert) is the divorced mother of Michael (Pierce), a young autisticAutism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
boy who is unable to speak or write. After an incident in which Michael wanders away from home to the local playground, Karen's ex-husband Roger realizes that Michael may need more specialized care than she can provide, and suggests Michael be enrolled in a special residential school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
.
Reluctant to do so, Karen nonetheless agrees to visit the campus, where she meets with therapist Terry Wilson (Duke), who explains just how the program will be able to help Michael, which finally convinces Karen to enroll him, although she is put off by the school's requirement that she not visit for 6 weeks. Initially clashing with Terry's approach, Karen grudgingly comes to realize that the separation period is necessary for adjustment and takes a job at a local greenhouse. Meanwhile, Michael begins gradually making progress, learning such basics as tying his shoes, in addition to such chores as making his bed and helping prepare meals in the cottage he shares with his caretaker, Jeff.
Eventually, Terry suggests to Jeff and school head Eliot that they try a form of facilitated communication
Facilitated communication
Facilitated communication is a process by which a facilitator supports the hand or arm of a communicatively impaired individual while using a keyboard or other devices with the aim of helping the individual to develop pointing skills and to communicate...
: having Michael type his thoughts on a computer keyboard, with Terry guiding his hand. Eliot is reluctant, but Jeff is outright dismissive, claiming Michael's "not that bright" and "can't even spell." However, Eliot finally agrees to give Terry a one-month trial period with Michael (and only Michael) to see if it works.
Initially, Michael only types gibberish, but Terry keeps at it, and a breakthrough finally occurs when Karen comes for a visit and, in an emotional moment, he types a greeting of "MOM HI" to her, finally breaking his long silence.
Karen then asks Michael if he knows how much she loves him, to which he types "YES", and then he reveals something she had never known when he types "DAD GONE. I BRAK CAR. MY FALT" (referring to an incident the day Roger left, in which Michael had thrown a tantrum and broken the car window, thus proving that Terry is not actually typing for Michael, as there was no way she could have known about it), but Karen assures him this was not the reason for their divorce.
Later, Karen shares news of her first conversation with Michael to an initially skeptical Roger, admitting to having been wrong about Terry before and thanking him for recommending the school. After mentioning the revelation that Michael thought the divorce was his fault, Roger expresses guilt over having never explained the reason for his departure, but Karen assures him that she set Michael straight, and even if he's not convinced, he'll now be able to tell them. Things seem to be looking up, with Karen even receiving a pay raise at the greenhouse.
However, trouble soon looms over the horizon, after Jeff departs for a two-week vacation to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Michael begins having nightmares, acting out, neglecting his chores and becoming harder to handle. Needing some answers, Terry asks Michael why, to which he types out "JEFF." Initially thinking it's related to Jeff being away, Terry is surprised when Michael further clarifies this by typing "KEEP JEFF AWAY."
When asked why, Michael types out the unthinkable: "SEX". Informed that he had been sexually abused, an enraged Karen demands that Michael be pulled from the school, but he expresses his desire to remain there: "I STAY". After Jeff is arrested, a detective is dispatched to the school and questions Michael about the abuse; believing him to be credible, he comments to Terry on how "impressive" this form of communication is before leaving.
All is not well for Karen, however. Feeling hurt that Michael had put his trust in Terry rather than his own mother, and despite Roger's gratitude that Michael actually told someone about the abuse, Karen has suddenly cut off all contact, not returning phone calls or showing up for visits and shutting herself up in the house.
Finally, Terry pays her a visit and explains that despite all the school has accomplished for Michael, he still needs Karen in his life, and that it's important for them to work together. This gets her to come around, and as they prepare for trial (an uphill battle, not helped by the double whammy of the court's reluctance to use facilitated communication to provide testimony
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
and the fact that Jeff recanted his confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
), Karen stresses to Terry how important it is that she help Michael "find his voice" in court.
After being established as a credible witness
Credible witness
In the law of evidence, a credible witness is a person making testimony in a court or other tribunal, or acting otherwise as a witness, whose credibility is unimpeachable. A witness may have more or less credibility, or no credibility at all...
, Michael gets through questioning by the district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
with no problem, but when cross-examined by Jeff's attorney, he has an episode on the witness stand, forcing the judge to call a recess. While the defense calls for a mistrial, a compromise is reached: another cross-examination will take place in a separate area, relayed back to the courtroom via closed-circuit TV, and without the presence of Jeff.
Asked by Karen if he wants to try again, Michael types "I CAN DO IT MOM", and the trial proceeds. Things go smoother this time, and in the end, Jeff is found guilty
Guilty
Guilty commonly refers to the feeling of guilt, an experience that occurs when a person believes that they have violated a moral standard.Guilty or The Guilty may also refer to:-Law:*Guilty plea, a formal admission of legal culpability...
of performing a lewd act upon a child. Karen then relays the good news to Michael, who types "WE WON" after hearing it.
The film ends with Karen and Terry watching Michael play, Terry commenting that they still have a long way to go with him, but Karen assures her, "we'll go together. We're a good team."
Cast
- Patty DukePatty DukeAnna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
as Terry Wilson - Melissa GilbertMelissa GilbertMelissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
as Karen Barth - Bradley PierceBradley PierceBradley Michael Pierce is a former American voice-over artist and character actor with numerous roles and bit parts in television, movies, direct-to-video animation, advertising, and video games.-Career:...
as Michael Barth - Markus FlanaganMarkus Flanagan-Life and career:Flanagan was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He co-starred in the Nickelodeon series Unfabulous as Jeff Singer, the father of Emma Roberts' character, from 2004 to 2007. Other television credits include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, Judging Amy, and Northern Exposure...
as Roger Barth - Lisa BanesLisa BanesLisa Banes is an American stage and screen actress. She played Lady Croom in the U.S. premiere of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1995 and won a 1981 Theatre World Award for her performance in Look Back in Anger. A graduate of the Juilliard School, she recently appeared on Broadway in the 2010 revival...
as Marla Tolbert - Roger Aaron BrownRoger Aaron BrownRoger Aaron Brown is an American character actor known for his role as Deputy Chief Joe Noland on the hit CBS drama television series The District from 2000 to 2004, and for his minor role in the 1988 science fiction film Alien Nation as Det. Bill "Tug" Tuggle, the partner and friend of Matthew...
as Eliot - Peter Spears as Jeff
- Shelley MorrisonShelley MorrisonShelley Morrison is an American actress. Early in her career, she was sometimes credited as Rachel Domínguez. Morrison has been a theater and television actress since the early 1960s, predominantly as a character actress in ethnic roles...
as Lupe
Production and release
The film was initially scheduled to air on September 25, 1994. However, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
feared low ratings because another made-for-TV film, Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
's The Innocent, premiered the same night. It was pushed back three weeks. Upon its release, the film was criticized for its portrayal of an autistic child, but young Bradley Pierce
Bradley Pierce
Bradley Michael Pierce is a former American voice-over artist and character actor with numerous roles and bit parts in television, movies, direct-to-video animation, advertising, and video games.-Career:...
received praise from all critics.
During the late 1990s and 2000s, the film was frequently rerun on Lifetime and its sister channel Lifetime Movie Network
Lifetime Movie Network
Lifetime Movie Network is a cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A&E Television Networks, LLC. A&E Television Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBCUniversal. LMN offers women-oriented movies...
, and received a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release from MPI Home Video
MPI Home Video
MPI Home Video is a home entertainment company that produces and distributes popular documentaries, films and television series on DVD & Blu-ray for the home video market. MPI Home Video is a subsidiary of MPI Media Group which was founded in 1976 by brothers Malik & Waleed Ali...
in 2007, as part of its "True Stories Collection".