By:Jesilyn
Score:
15/15 points� Dr. I. City University

Abstract

For the average spectator, the movie Losing Isaiah can be a thought provoking film. However, the majority of an individual�s beliefs and emotions will probably be based on their first impression and a preconceived set of beliefs and values thus swaying only slightly if any from the original frame of mind, instead of allowing the events that proceed as the movie continues to direct their final opinions. This to me is a natural action but has never been my style therefore if that is the expectation; it�s wrong. I personally chose Losing Isaiah because I believe it happens to be one of the most socially debatable movies of all time. I agree To me, within this single film, one is given a glimpse of many topics that could easily spark a bon fire to light the path of critical thinking. Not to mention, it provides a future psychologist, such as me, practice in with emotion control, and evaluation skills without working with actual cliental. Therefore, this paper will provide a clear, open minded, bias-free perspective that will not only present an overview of Losing Isaiah, but will also offer both sides view of several social issues that I noticed as I observed this controversial story.

First Impressions

The story line begins in a filthy dirty, paint peeling, decrepitated crack house where strung out Khaila attempts to breastfeed her screaming, three day old, infant son Isaiah. As his wails of hunger grow louder her overwhelming desire for a crack-cocaine fix kicks in. Then, with out a visible emotional support system, she leaves the house, into the night air; her breath escapes her lips like cigarette smoke, thick smoke thick enough to choke on. As she reaches what seems to be a deserted ally, she gently places Isaiah, who is wrapped in a threadbare blanket and still screaming, in a card board box, covers him with the lid, and tells him she will soon return. These words are soon forgotten and the following morning her precious baby is literally snatched from the claws of death when two garbage-men find Isaiah mere seconds before the steal blades shred both he and the box he laid in. He is then carried to the local hospital.

As for Khaila, she is stuck in a drug induced euphoric state of mind until her breasts ache from lack of nursing. But by then it�s simply too late. She races to the dumpster. She frantically rummages through the boxes until a homeless man screams something about police, drama, dead babies, and then makes a demand for her to leave his alley. After which, she again returns to the world of narcotics. She enters a convenient store and sporadically begins to collect eatable and alcoholic items; placing them in her jacket. When confronted she springs into an uncontrollable psychotic episode, singing lyrics from a song and is totally unresponsive to the officer�s voice. She is then arrested and convicted. From there, the following scene directly states that she elected an alternative rehabilitation program over incarceration.

Let�s critique this shall we? The visible facts are that Khaila is a young lady who is homeless, drug dependant, and has a minor child. She left her defenseless newborn son to fend for himself in a cardboard box in an alley, in the cold, with no supervision; in order to visit a drug dealer, and then she ultimately became so inebriated that her ability to return to him became impossible. Because of this, the majority of viewers probably feel shocked, irritated, resentful, or grief stricken in one way or another. I too found myself feeling these emotions. However, I was able to quickly barricade these emotions and keep them from becoming barriers to my observation. You see the movie, although intense in nature, had yet to tell me anything about Khaila�s past, such as where she came from, weather she was educated, or how she became the way she is. Any conclusions made at this point would be completely based upon a preconceived set of beliefs and values that may or may not even be relevant to this particular case what so ever.

Basically, I had to consciously decided weather to both judge Khaila harshly and elect to dismiss any chance of rehabilitation or seek to understand the cause of her actions and vote that they help her through her difficulties. It was at this point; I began to feel a type of compassion for this woman. Don�t get me wrong, I was distraught. But, my mind questioned the existence of family, friendships, and education. It questioned the validity of our system as a whole. The system I know should have not only detected the drug abuse issues prior to Isaiah�s birth, but also been able to protect him from the life style in which he was released to. I believe that in it�s self made me even more emotional than the events taken place before my eyes. This of course brings us to the next social issues; the rehabilitation process of Khaila and then the futures for her and son Isaiah.

Rehabilitation

As we return to the film, Khaila has successfully completed the in treatment program, she rented a room with another woman, (Which will later be noted as the first room she has ever had to herself) and her counselor Gussie has began teaching her to read. Gussie has asked Khaila about her studies and her attitude has become less that pleasant. Gussie mirrors her mannerisms and after brief but blunt confrontation Khaila brake into tears forcing Gussie to explore the reason�s why. What she finds is a cold hard truth, three years prior, Khaila had thrown her baby away and now believes him to be dead.

The story breaks into other scenes, and then returns to another meeting between the two women. Gussie informs Khaila that her son is not only alive, but has been legally adopted by a Caucasian family and is now living in the Saint Paul area. This sparks many emotions within Khaila; above all pain. She begs Gussie to see her son. Gussie assures her that she must work the system in order to get what she wants without losing what she has gained. This is not good enough her. She needs more and she needs it now.

Khaila soon finds herself in the mist of Gussies office. She secretly sneaks a peek into the filing cabinet at her own records. There in black and white is exactly what she craves; Isaiah�s address. Without hesitation she takes the child she babysat for and goes to Saint Paul where she not only catches a glimpse of Isaiah playing at the local park, but speaks to him and holds him as well. This moment of happiness is cut short when �responsibility� cries out from the lungs of the child she is caring for. She sits Isaiah down, and walks away.

Alright, let us take another break, only this time reflect on the process of Khaila�s rehabilitation and the complexity of her situation. I know fro m experience, that many individuals would be infuriated and more than ready by now to cast Khaila into the nearest prison totally disregarding her need for rehabilitating services. But this is where I feel our society does the most harm. Yes, Khaila probably does deserve to be punished. But frankly, incarceration without rehabilitation is irresponsible and in my opinion should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. You see, contrary to what many people think about addictive/criminal behaviors, I believe in a world of second chances and I found myself wondering how I will react if I am ever faced with a situation such as that which Gussie has been placed. What If a client of mine told me a about a horrible deed like this? How could I not judge him or her and if I did how would I keep from reacting? Clearly I�d have to report such a thing, so who would I report it to? Not to mention, I know I would have a moral obligation to assist him or her as well. However, I�d never go and cross the ethical boundaries the way that Gussie did. To me, Gussie obtained and distributed a private adoption record which was neither the most ethical, legal, or safe approach to the dilemma. Legally, adoption records are suppose to be sealed documents until a child reaches the age of majority, even then the unsealing of them can still lead to a questionable verdict. Speaking of verdicts, let�s go back to the movie because the most intense part has begun.

Legal Advice

In this section, Gussie has referred Khaila to Urban Legal Services. She is running late and the attorney is less than impressed. He explains to her that it is his understanding that she wishes to reinstate her parental rights. When she claims that she never gave them up, he explains that by abandoning her son and never making an effort to find him, she had basically given up her rights. He then asks if she had received letters of intent to adopt to which she replied no. After which, he reluctantly accepts the case due to social relation and issues a letter of Khaila�s intent to fight Isaiah�s adoption.

When the adoptive mother Margaret receives this letter she franticly phones her husband Charles. Charles assures her that everything will be ok and when he returns they visit an attorney where they discuss the events that had happen up until this point. Basically, everything had been handled by the book. Margaret had personally filed all the appropriate paperwork. She published newspaper articles, completed computerized prison searches and welfare system checks. She even used personal family funds to hire a private investigator to look for Isaiah�s biological parents, but the search came up empty handed. It seemed illogical to them that Khaila should not be given any rights. Seems hopeless�.To them, this woman had thrown her baby away, if anything she deserved to be arrested. The attorney told them that courts could vacate the adoption if it deemed necessary and that the birth mother had the right to be heard. Over all she says that you can raise a child with the best of intentions, but the world isn�t color blind. Children should be with their parents.

Hold up! It is time for another evaluation. Look at the difference in the way the two families handle this dilemma. Khaila has failed to report to her appointment on time. Her appearance is less than appealing and her answers cause her own attorney to question her genuine ability to raise her son. On the other hand, Margaret and Charles have been more than adequate parents, have followed the rules, and done everything they can to make themselves out to be fit for the task. Their only down fall seems to be their race. Does race really make that much of a difference? What about criminal charges? Will Khaila face criminal charges for what she did to Isaiah? It certainly makes me wonder. I guess we shall see.

The Justice System

Khaila arrives at court. She is clean, professionally dressed, and yet intimidation and fear flood profusely through her chocolate brown eyes. Her testimony reveals many things. Not only does it reflect her dark past of drug abuse, promiscuity, homelessness and the horrible truth about Isaiah. It also shows a lighter, more humane side of her. This side reflects the long road of recovery that she has traveled and the progress she has made. It is this side of Khaila that tells of her higher power and how it is because of him that she is there at court in hopes to get a second chance to make things up to Isaiah. It is this side of her that clings to her support system.

When Margaret and Charles take the stand, the questions become prominently race related. Khaila�s attorney asks them questions like: Who combs Isaiah�s hair? Does Isaiah plays with black dolls? Does Isaiah come in contact with African American people? Matter a fact, the only time he really sways from this line of questioning is when he asks Charles about an affair, which Charles reluctantly does admits to. (Even if it was only an one time event.)

This legal debate continues as Dr. Goldfind testifies that African American children are often placed with Caucasian families but that this is a temporary measure and when �racially suitable� families are found, the child is removed and relocated. This however can take years but she considers it to be in the best long term interest of a child. She then recommends that Isaiah be returned to his birth mother.

Over all, by the end of the trial, the judge rules in favor of the birth mother. The adoptive parents are ordered to return Isaiah and the effects of this decision are expected to be limited because he is young. Basically the judge suspects that as long as the adults behave appropriately Isaiah will simply transition with ease.

Once home, Margaret and Charles prepare Isaiah to leave. A caseworker ends up forcefully removing Isaiah from Margaret�s arms as his basic needs fall upon her deaf ears. He in return screams until his exhausted body collapses in the car seat on the way to Khaila�s house. When his little eyes finally do open, he is beside a stranger in a new place. She tries to console him but his fear is too great. The next day he gives her the same catatonic response. And when she takes him to his new school, he limply allows himself to be pulled, dragging himself like a rag doll not in step and not resistant. Several more issues occur such as an outburst at a restaurant and Isaiah hiding in the shower before Khaila realizes she must do something. In desperation she calls Margaret.

Margaret doesn�t hesitate, and instantly catches a cab and meets Khaila at Isaiah�s school. When she arrives, Khaila begins to tell her how she had wanted Isaiah so bad that she wasn�t thinking. She said she wanted him to remain in the same school with the children he is with but that she wanted Margaret to go in and tell him not to be scared anymore. She said some people will think she is crazy but that she didn�t care because she was doing this because she loved Isaiah and Margaret told her that she loved him too. After a short embrace Khaila leads Margaret into the classroom where little Isaiah runs happily screaming, �MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY!� As the movie ends, Margaret, Khaila and Isaiah sit playing with assorted blocks leaving the viewer with any number of unanswered questions. Nice job on this�the combination between movie review and reflections is perfect.

By analyzing the above court proceedings, we discover that facts are often a matter of prospective and are up to a person to prove legitimate. We also see that on occasion feelings are also considered facts and can be admissible in a court of law; such as Dr. Goldfind�s personal opinion about returning Isaiah to Khaila. I say this because no where in her testimony does she ever speak about interviewing any of the parties involved; thus making her recommendation seem emotion based instead of observation based. However, just as feelings can be proven factual, they are also subject to change; for instance when Khaila decides to send Isaiah back to live with Margaret and Charles. Yes, she felt she was doing the right thing when she first fought for him, but after a few weeks she realized that she had made a few mistakes along the way. That doesn�t take a rocket scientist to understand. For that matter, when one dissects the transcripts (which we definitely don�t have time to do), it�s obvious that the entire case above was saturated by racism and ethnocentric values and the mission submersed by perverted color coding and cultural sigma. This brings us to our conclusion.

The Conclusion

Individual perspectives are enhanced by a person�s own unique set of beliefs and values. They are also influenced by many emotional, mental, and physical aspects that are brought on by environmental factors. Such details become superior during the observation process and can sway the individual�s opinion even if they have taken the time to practice their critical thinking skills. Sometimes however an individual becomes capable of viewing both sides of the spectrum and that allows them to embrace a much deeper understanding from a multiple point of view.

While watching this movie, I feel I consciously attempted to do just that, which is why during my review I purposely avoided writing much about Isaiah himself. You see, I noticed that this child seemed to be a pawn used in a racial debate; much like I was used by my own grandmother to destroy my parents. Like my own situation, not only did the system support this type of escapade, but it overlooked many important details in the process.

The first set of details, which I consider to be the most important, concerns the actual wellbeing of Isaiah. This little boy was abandoned by his biological mother and against all odds survived. Fortunately for him, he was adopted by a wonderful loving family where he was not only adored, but received unconditional love. This child was happy, healthy, and despite what Khaila�s attorney might want you to believe in need of nothing. However, due to unethical actions from Khaila�s social worker, his whole world was flipped upside down and his happiness distorted. No one ever asked his opinion. No one even attempted to send him to therapy. For that matter, he wasn�t even permitted a gradual introduction period that would allow him to get acquainted not only with his future surrounding but with the woman he would be forced to call Mommy. There�s no wonder he couldn�t adjust. Oh, and what about parenting classes? Didn�t Isaiah deserve safety? The courts never once made that mandatory. I don�t know about other spectators but these issues really upset me. I couldn�t help but think about these things. I mean I totally understand both women�s desires to hold on to such a precious child but at the same time, Isaiah�s over all emotional, physical, and psychological security should have been every one�s (especially the officials) top priority and it�s my opinion that it wasn�t. The system meant to protect children and that system continuously let him down; first before birth (by not dealing with Khaila�s drug problem), then after birth (when she threw him away), and finally three years later (When they handed him back to her without stipulations).

The second set of details mentioned above consists of criminal conduct, and the lack of the Judicial System�s willingness to uphold the law. Obviously, child neglect and abandonment to such an extreme would be considered punishable. So why didn�t the authorities attempt to hold Khaila responsible for her actions? Frankly, they knew who Isaiah belonged to based on foot prints taken at birth. Khaila was arrested on shoplifting charges, shortly after therefore she would have been registered in the local court system. Thus meaning that locating her would have been as easy a pressing a few buttons, or making a few phone calls. Sheen laziness if you ask me. Now before you ask, YES, I do believe in rehabilitation but I also believe in justice and in this case justice was never served.

Along with Khaila�s offense, I�m fairly sure that Gussie violated a privacy law of some type when she made private adoption information available to Khaila. At the very least, she should have been held responsible for her actions at an employment level. I don�t mean to sound pretentious or judgmental but I really feel that she could have placed Isaiah in danger and I�m sorry but that kind of behavior can not be overlooked.

So, what does all this mean? To you, it could mean a lot of things or it could mean nothing at all. But, to me it means that I�m one step closer to my goal; to become a criminal psychologist. And that means that I�m still human because I can still look at person as a person even when they have committed a crime. I can still step outside of the situation and try to evaluate things from both views. But above all, I haven�t lost my nerve to question what I feel is false, unreasonable, or improper. That is the of myself that I pray I will never give up, because if I do than I can�t fight for those that really need my help the most.

References

Gyllenhaal, Stephen. (Director). (1995). Losing Isaiah [Motion picture].
(Available from Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California 90038)

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