Losing Isaiah

Losing Isaiah
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stephen Gyllenhaal
Screenplay by	Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal
Based on	Losing Isaiah by Seth Margolis
Produced by	Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal Hawk Koch
Starring	Jessica Lange Halle Berry David Strathairn Cuba Gooding Jr. Samuel L. Jackson
Cinematography	Andrzej Bartkowiak
Edited by	Harvey Rosenstock
Music by	Mark Isham
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	March 17, 1995 (1995-03-17) (United States)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$17 million
Box office	$7.6 million

Losing Isaiah is a 1995 American drama film starring Jessica Lange and Halle Berry, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. It is based on the novel of the same name by Seth Margolis. The screenplay is written by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal. The original music score is composed by Mark Isham.

Plot

While craving her next hit, Khaila Richards (Halle Berry), an African-American crack cocaine addict, abandons her inconsolable, illegitimate infant son, Isaiah, in the dumpster. She promises to come back for him later, but then she passes out from the drugs. The next day, the infant narrowly escapes death by the garbage truck. Baby Isaiah is rushed to the hospital, where they discover that he’s also addicted to crack cocaine because of his mother taking it while she was pregnant with him. While caring for Isaiah, a social worker named Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange) grows increasingly fond of him. Eventually she adopts Isaiah and brings him home to live with her, her husband Charles (David Strathairn) and their daughter Hannah. Meanwhile, Khaila is caught shoplifting and is sent to rehab, unaware Isaiah is still alive.

Three years later, Khaila successfully completes her treatment and confesses to her case worker that she gave birth to Isaiah and abandoned him in the alley. Without Khaila’s knowledge, the case worker investigates further and discovers that Isaiah is alive and was adopted by the Lewins. They hire a lawyer, Kadar Lewis (Samuel L. Jackson) to contest the adoption and help Khaila regain custody of Isaiah. An ugly court battle ensues, with racial issues demonstrating inadequacies on both sides. In the end, the judge makes the difficult decision to overturn the adoption and return Isaiah to Khaila’s custody, much to the Lewins' horror and sadness.

Even after weeks pass, a distraught Isaiah does not consider Khaila his mother. Although he becomes increasingly withdrawn, he is also prone to violent public outbursts. Eventually, Khaila is desperate for Isaiah's happiness, and asks Margaret to step back in "for a little while... until he can understand." However, she insists she will also continue to be involved for the foreseeable future. The two mothers embrace each other, both proclaiming their equally strong motherly love for Isaiah. The two mothers then begin together playing building blocks with their beloved boy in a classroom.

Cast

• Jessica Lange as Margaret Lewin
• Halle Berry as Khaila Richards
• David Strathairn as Charles Lewin
• Cuba Gooding Jr. as Eddie Hughes
• Samuel L. Jackson as Kadar Lewis
• Daisy Eagan as Hannah Lewin
• Marc John Jefferies as Isaiah
• Joie Susannah Lee as Marie
• Regina Taylor as Gussie
• La Tanya Richardson as Caroline Jones
• Jacqueline Brookes as Judge Silbowitz
• Donovon Ian H. McKnight as Amir
• Rikkia A. Smith as Josie
• Deanna Dunagan as Dr. Goldstein

Production note

Susan Sarandon turned down the role of Margaret Lewin.

Reception

Losing Isaiah received mostly negative reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 45% based on 29 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Losing Isaiah makes an admirable attempt to tackle complex, worthwhile themes, but loses sight of effective storytelling during a descent into melodrama."

External links

• Losing Isaiah at IMDb
• Losing Isaiah at AllMovie
• Losing Isaiah at Rotten Tomatoes
• Losing Isaiah at Box Office Mojo