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 infant illegitimate son, Isaiah, in the dumpster. She promises to "come back later", but then passes out from the drugs. The next day, the infant narrowly escapes death in the garbage truck. Baby Isaiah is sent to the hospital, where they discover he is also addicted to crack through his mother's addiction. While caring for Isaiah, a social worker named Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange) grows increasingly fond of him and eventually adopts him to live with her and her husband, Charles (David Strathairn) and daughter, Hannah. Meanwhile, Khaila is caught shoplifting and is sent to rehab, unaware Isaiah is alive.

Three years later, Khaila successfully completes her treatment and confesses to her case worker that she abandoned Isaiah in the alley. Unknown to Khaila, the case worker investigates and discovers Isaiah's adoption. They hire a lawyer, Kadar Lewis (Samuel L. Jackson) to contest the adoption. An ugly court battle ensues, with racial issues demonstrating inadequacies on both sides. The judge overturns the adoption, returning Isaiah to Khaila, 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 Although he becomes increasingly withdrawn, he is also prone to violent public outbursts.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. 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 Lee as Marie
• Regina Taylor as Gussie
• LaTanya Richardson as Caroline Jones
• Jacqueline Brookes as Judge Silbowitz
• Deanna Dunagan as Dr. Goldstein

Reception

Losing Isaiah received mostly negative reviews from critics.

It has a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews.

External links

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