| America | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Yves Simoneau |
| Produced by | Rosie O'Donnell, David A. Rosemont, Larry Sanitsky |
| Written by | Joyce Eliason, Rosie O'Donnell (film) E.R. Frank (book) |
| Starring | Rosie O'Donnell Ruby Dee Philip Johnson |
| Music by | Normand Corbeil |
| Cinematography | John B. Aronson |
| Editing by | Richard Comeau |
| Distributed by | Lifetime Television |
| Release date(s) | February 28, 2009 |
| Running time | appox. 120 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
America is a 2009 Lifetime Television film starring Rosie O’Donnell, Ruby Dee and Philip Johnson. It was directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Joyce Eliason. The film is based on the young adult novel America by E.R. Frank.
Contents |
A biracial 16-year old boy named America (Philip Johnson), who has experienced a difficult life of foster care and sexual abuse, undergoes counseling with psychiatrist Maureen Brennan (Rosie O'Donnell) to help him come to terms with his painful past of childhood trauma, including growing up with a crack-addicted mother (Toya Turner) and being shuffled through a series of foster homes including the Harpers (with Mrs. Harper played by Ruby Dee and Reggie Harper by Tim Rhoze). The film starts with Maureen Brennan (Rosie O'Donnel) is at a group home where she is giving a small introduction about outlook for most of the group home children's future (they end living on the streets, in jail, or dead). A young America, emotionally vacant and suicidal, comes to the attention Brennan. When she tries to talk to America, he refuses to give her any answers about his childhood. She helps him understand his troubled past in order to find the courage to survive and helps him forgive and forget and move forward.[1].
The moving teledrama film of tragic but ultimately hopeful events of transformative healing based on a novel by E.R. Frank, premiered on Lifetime Television on February 28, 2009 against critical acclaim and was repeated on March 1 and 3, 2009 on the same channel.
It's showing also led to public deiscussion about the system of foster care. Rosie O'Donnel explained the dilemma of "ageing out of the foster care system" when young people in foster care are left out of the system when they reach 18 (21 in a few U.S. states), as all services are cut. O'Donnel explains that most of these kids end up as homeless or in jail.[2][3]
The DVD of the film was released on September 1, 2009.
The film is based on America, a young adult novel written by E.R. Frank. It tells the story of America, a fifteen-year-old biracial boy who had gotten lost in the system. The author of the book, E.R. Frank, is herself a social worker. In an author's note at the end of the book, she says she has worked with many Americas over the years.