Stevie (2002) User Reviews (58)

Downbeat documentary about a troubled, and troubling, young man

[bandw · 7/10 · 5 November 2016]

In 1981 the director of this documentary, Steve James, volunteered with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization to become a big brother to eleven year old Stevie Fielding. The Big Brothers Big Sisters program matches adult volunteers to serve as mentors for children ages six through eighteen. The children in the program are judged to be in need of support from a stable adult. Stevie Fielding clearly satisfies that criterion. Born out of wedlock, he never knew his father and his mother did not want him. His mother beat him and he made the rounds of foster homes where he was beaten and raped.

In 1985 James left Stevie and the rural southern Illinois area where he lived and went to Chicago. In 1994 James returned to check in on Stevie and that is where this documentary begins, with Stevie now 23 years old. It is not surprising that Stevie has some serious emotional problems and is not doing all that well, having racked up multiple arrests in the intervening years. He does have some support from a stepsister and from a girlfriend. He has been accused of having molested an eight year old girl while babysitting her, resulting in court proceedings. Stevie's molestation case moving through the courts casts a cloud that hangs over the entire documentary until the final resolution.

Lots of questions came up for me. How should a person like Stevie be understood and treated? Was he doomed by his past, or could there have been a different path for him? Would things have been different if Steve James had not left? Was Stevie's limited emotional and intellectual range due mainly to his background, or was it genetically encoded? How was it that these people granted James such intimate access to there lives?

One of the interesting things about the movie is trying to figure out how Stevie sees the world. Nowhere is it mentioned that he has a classifiable psychiatric condition, such as Down Syndrome or schizophrenia, but he clearly has intellectual and emotional challenges. Stevie seems to have the maturity of a child. Although Stevie did not admit to any wrongdoing, I wonder if in fact he knew that he had done something seriously wrong by molesting the girl. I could not view Stevie as a pedophile in the sense that he necessarily had a compulsion to have sex with children. It's almost like his transgression just happened, maybe due to his childlike nature. But what should be done with a person like Stevie? Is jail really the answer? He refused a plea bargain that would have required him to seek psychiatric help. I doubt that Stevie will come out of jail (if indeed he survives the experience) with any chance of having a satisfying life, either for himself or those around him, not to mention his likely recidivism.

A lot of the themes that surface in this documentary reminded me of those in Steinbeck's novella "Of Mice and Men," which deals with the close relationship between a ordinary man and a man with the mental development of a child. Themes addressed are: societal and personal obligations, loneliness, justice, understanding others.

As this movie ground on to its sad end I found it to be one of the most depressing movies I have seen. Every fifteen minutes or so it became so painful to watch that I was tempted to give up on it, but I saw it through to the end.

Is Stevie exploited?

[christine_p2 · 8/10 · 22 May 2007]

I had a tough time watching the scene where the camera is on Steve James as Tonya tells him that at least something good came of all this, that at least a film was made about Stevie. I didn't like how long they allowed the camera to catch Steve's emotional reaction and it seemed a little too obvious...like the scene in Broadcast News where William Hurt whips up some tears to show on camera. I don't like that kind of manipulation. However, that being said, I don't mean to imply that Steven James wasn't sincere in his reaction; it was his editing choice that seems insincere.

It's a complicated film. Just like Stevie the person, there are no easy answers; unlike Stevie the person, life is not simply black and white. I do think the title reflects many things: the subject as he is now, the director's memory of Stevie the little boy, and the director himself. I don't believe that Stevie was exploited, but there is something in the intention of the film that is unsettling. And I think that unsettling feeling is an okay thing to have. If I taught a film class, this is a film I would definitely want to use to explore the nature of point of view, the ethics of documentary film-making, and the nature of simply being human.

I adored Tonya's friend in Chicago. Tonya, her friend, and Wanda reflect the very best about people and shatter easy stereotypes. These are all smart, independent, warm, thoughtful women, which is just wonderful to see in a documentary film.

the cold hard truth

[skinnybert · 8/10 · 24 June 2019]

It's funny how many want to review the filmmaker instead of the film. Here we see a family of people who rarely know how to be happy, and the filmmaker himself does make some unwise decisions. But that's not the point; we can't expect Mr James to see around his own blind spots -- and yet sometimes he does, and so does Stevie himself.

I see this as something of a redemption film (even if that redemption is seriously flawed): every major participant comes to a better understanding through the events explored, sometimes with surprising clarity. No, their lives aren't going to be great; that's just not in the cards. But a lot of hard truth gets laid out, often from surprising sources (Patricia for the fiancee, Greg for the Steves). There are no easy or simple answers, except possibly to show the universality of human needs -- and faults. Recommended. 8/10

Powerful and troubling

[jonr-3 · 10/10 · 14 June 2004]

This, to my mind, is how a documentary should be. The filmmaker makes no direct appeal for sympathy, he doesn't try to explain things, he just shows what is and lets the involved parties state their versions of what happened. In short, he documents: he does not propagandize.

Rarely have two and a half hours of viewing slipped by so rapidly for me. I was near tears at the end of it--not because my emotions had been "tweaked" or played with by the film's creator, but simply out of a feeling of despair for our miserable human condition. This superb film lays a lot of truths about humanity pitilessly bare.

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Stevie comment

[DeCore5 · 10/10 · 4 July 2005]

I watched Stevie last night at work...I work in a children's home with young children who were sexually abused or are sexual offenders (the kids were asleep when I watched this). He spent six years of his life in a place like this which was supposed to help him. It's very hard to get through to kids like this and even though people like me try, the kids do not get the therapy they so desperately need. Did anyone see the way Stevie backed down when faced with anyone that was dominant or made him responsible for his actions? His family and the filmmaker were enablers and told him what he wanted to hear and never addressed the issue. If he were to be held responsible for his actions all his life by the people he cared about and respected and not just told things to pacify him, maybe he would be a different person. I thought that this was a wonderful documentary and it makes me take the work that I do much more seriously because I see how it can turn out.

A devastating look at a life without stability.

[captainshade-1 · 10/10 · 2 March 2003]

I just saw Stevie today at a film festival and it really blew me away. Its harrowing to see the life of someone who was passed off from person to person and only rarely got a glimpse of a happier life. He is used as a pawn in the relationship between his grandmother and the mother who didn't want him (and took it out in abuse). Later he is sent through the foster care system where he is eventually raped. Bits of his medical record reveal the degree to which we can predict the effects that this sort of instability will bring to a person's life, which makes it all the more angering that noone was there to prevent it.

In one particularly powerful scene you see Stevie reunited with the kindest of his early foster parents and the joy it brings to him. There is almost a complete regression in him to a childlike state, like he is trying to restart his childhood at the point where he was happy.

Steve James does not try to excuse the heinous crime Stevie has committed, rather he forces you to see the complicity we all have in (including in a very real sense himself) allowing a system that ignores the needs of children.

Amazing

[PalSalGal · 10/10 · 22 May 2003]

I strongly suggest you see the documentary "Stevie" when it hits theaters. I saw a free special advance screening and it one blew me away. This one was long, over 2 hours. I expected to laugh at the messed up hicks when I heard it was a film about trailer trash. How unforgivably judgmental of me. instead of a shallow, exploitive Jerry Springer episode, I found myself wrapped up in the reality of their personal pain, regret, and hopelessness. I wish I could thank them all for shedding light on all the dark corners of their lives for us to see and gain insight. I was moved to tears several times (although I did have to laugh just as often). I felt a tremendous amount of shame for the internal suffering of those difficult people and situations we look down on, talk down to, ridicule, and ignore. I walked out of the movie with a better understanding than ever about what unconditional love and acceptance means. You have to see it.

An excellent sociological portrait chronicalling the cycle of victimization

[tranquil17 · 20 March 2004]

As you watch this film, it seems important to remember throughout that the director Steve James did not know what to expect when he came back to see Stevie 10 years later. There is a temptation at times to think that the filmmaker is exploiting his subject by putting this story to film. But then you remember that he came back as an accomplished filmmaker and out of a genuine curiosity about and care for this boy he had known from their relationship in the Big Brother/Little Brother program. He is not sure what he will find, but it seems that he hopes to discover something optimistic that was never really there. So once things go bad for the film's subject, should the filmmaker abandon the project so as not to exploit his subject's troubles? The director struggles with this question but ultimately decides that leaving Stevie would be worse than sticking around. By staying, he helps not only himself but all of us to understand the tragic life course of one man who, in the process of being victimized himself, turned to victimizing others.

This film is a unique documentary about a man in a legal crisis--unique in that the filmmaker, although sympathetic to his subject, also believes him to be guilty. This is not a film about trying to prove an accused man innocent but rather one that attempts to explain (but not excuse) why he might have done these things. His fractured family, his scattered upbringing, his history of abuse, his subsequent alcohol and drug abuse and mental illness, his lack of adequate treatment for these problems--all of these factors contribute to his worsening behavior. The filmmaker, others around him, and the viewers all wonder if something more could have been done to help Stevie before things went so wrong for him. Stevie's foster mom offers that perhaps she could have done something more if she weren't so human. Unfortunately, this is the kind of attention he needed and that nobody could have possibly given to him.

A troubling look at abuse and terrible parenting

[tomq5p · 6/10 · 23 July 2006]

This film is about a kid named Stevie from rural southern Illinois who was abused, neglected, and bounced around between various homes as a child. As an adult, he acts as we might predict: he is unstable, has a skewed moral compass, is child-like, and commits serious crimes. The filmmaker was a mentor to Stevie while at college and returns to catch up with him years later. He finds out that Stevie has been indicted with a serious crime and faces a long prison sentence. He uses this film as a way to investigate the root causes of Stevie's current behavior and to alleviate some guilt about not 'being there' for Stevie - after college, he moved to Chicago and didn't have contact with Stevie for many years. This film is a discussion-starter and brings up many questions about how children are raised and how a child's upbringing will affect his/her life. The editing job is mediocre and I think the film starts to get long-winded and boring toward the middle. Also, I can't help but feel that the director's somewhat warped, voyeuristic vision of what the film is or what it will do is ethically questionable. However, the film is honest and straight-forward and will elicit good discussion afterwards, even if you do end up pretty depressed.

6 out of 10

Excellent - very disturbing

[sbw123 · 10/10 · 22 March 2005]

"Stevie" is easily one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. Stevie has been shat on his entire life and nobody cares. His family has failed him, the system meant to protect him has failed him, and the people who are supposed to be his friends have failed him. People knew since Stevie was a teenager that the specific trouble that got him into trouble, which is the core of the movie, would eventually happen. Yet, nobody did anything to prevent it, instead seemingly choosing to say "Aren't you stupid for letting it happen. Now live with the consequences." The only problem is, the people that created the monster that is Stevie don't share in any of the blame. One of the most appalling things about this movie is that it was made. Steve James does a great job of injecting himself into a situation while trying to wipe his hands clean of any responsibility. He tells Stevie what Stevie wants to hear, but doesn't follow it up with any action. Steve James is just one more person to shat on Stevie and should be ashamed of himself. Hell, everyone in Stevie's life should be ashamed of themselves. If nothing else, this movie is great at showing the outcome of child abuse in every sense of "outcome."

A Lonely kid, A Lonely Man

[krism-6 · 7/10 · 12 June 2006]

I enjoyed this documentary.

I enjoyed looking at people in a whole different world, they remind me of some of my trailer park relatives, the way they talk, dress, sit on the couch or porch and get liquored up, the lack of education, how lonely a lot of these people are, particularly if your bouncing foster homes as a kid.

My favorite part was when Stevie was baptized, I wonder if it really got through to him, if anything can really get through to him.

I'm sure he is getting what he deserves, and this for me was just a weird video, something so random off the shelf at blockbuster that you'd never think of watching and being fascinated by the random weirdness of the people.

Unwanted

[markblanton-1 · 8/10 · 7 July 2006]

"There but by the Grace of God go I". Stevie never had a chance...at least not at first with his birth mother. It all starts in the womb. He was never wanted. Except for his story as sad and tragic as it is Stevie would have been better off not to have made it out of the womb. Certainly the little girl he molested would be.

The real tragedy is he did have a chance with the Hubers and his Big Brother Steve...both abandoned Stevie and knew it. You just can't trip in and out of children's lives and expect them to be "OK". Mrs. Hubers comment "well life goes on" was so trite. What she meant was HER life goes on. Stevies just stopped.....again.

All Children, especially the Stevies, need a lifetime of commitment. Commitment is what transforms the promise into reality. IT is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions that speak louder than the words. It is the making of time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time. Year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.

Decent premise, well directed, great access to principals, but entirely too long

[jb0579 · 6/10 · 3 February 2017]

Like in most of my reviews, I don't get too heavily invested in talking "plot". I know that sounds counter intuitive, but everybody gives you the plot, it's all over the Internet, it's all the trailers, the previews, the talk shows.... everywhere. So the plot is not too hard to find. What I do is get a little bit more into the technical aspects of the film and I think that's because I tend to watch films a bit more analytically than other people. This is unfortunate for me because while other people are enjoying a usually good movie, I'm sitting there thinking that couldn't be done because of this, or that's not realistic because of that, etc. Just watch "Speed", it's an homage to cinematic frustration for me, along with many others. Anyway this movie briefly is obviously about a 20-something (Director Steve James who plays himself, as does everyone else) who, at the urging others, befriends a young child Stevie (Steven Fielding - the identical first names was painful for me for some reason) in a "big brother" type of relationship, with honestly the best intentions in mind. Several years later the James, now also a film maker, returns to glean what he can about what ever happened to little Stevie from years ago, only to find out he's lived a life of crime; everything from innocuous to petty to questionable to downright disturbing. The viewer, though it is not verbalized, is left to wonder whether James feels as though his imprint on this young life did in some manner negatively affect it. It couldn't have. James and his wife are obviously wonderful people. Regardless, It's no secret that about halfway through the movie Stevie, the one time little brother, gets arrested for sexually assaulting his female little cousin. Now normally I don't get into this in this forum, but it seems appropriate here. Anyway, I normally tend to be a bit more liberal in cases such as this, however I simply don't get the outcry for leniency and compassion for this offender with myriad, wide ranging crimes spanning a lifetime despite a loving fiancé and supportive family (despite issues that were Dmittedly ghastly when he was a baby involving parenting-by-absentia etc. He admitted what he did, of course recanted but did so after a good amount of time had passed. After he subsequently told James that he wasn't going to prison, nor would he ever register as a sex offender (the implication being that he would kill himself before either of these two whatever occur), James had to fight valiantly to hold this thing together - and it was going down quickly. I don't mean in terms of quality of the movie, i just mean in the "tough-guy" rhetoric of the real-life players. Look, these guys are probably great fellows (one even boasts to be the head of the Aryan Brotherhood. Yup, the HEAD and everything! Now that can't be all bad, can it?) As I was saying, as far as career criminal sexually deviant incestuous child molesters and heads of Aryan Brotherhoods go, these guys are probably good neighbors. But I'm not in to guys who brag about striking women (particularly family members), I don't think the phrase "That's what she said" it's funny anymore, besides I bet she never said it to him anyway. These guys are big talkers and I'm just not interested in big talkers. They bore me. Like my dad says, one of his best ever, they never seem to have anything interesting to say, and they're always the loudest ones in the room. It's the same thing over and over and over again that everyone pretends to laugh at like it's the first time they heard it - that's what you're watching when you watch this. It's painful. Like I said, it's well-made I have no problems or issues there . It's the subject matter, it's the content, it's the irascible and obnoxiousness of the characters. Stevie gets his in the end and James makes a difficult to watch film if, like me, you're not into big talkers. But on rainy Sunday afternoon when your team has a bye, it's probably worth a watch, albeit 30 minutes too long. That's the most endorsements I can give this one.

Not so heartbreaking....

[abrokentoy · 5/10 · 8 August 2004]

I liked this documentary, Please don't get me wrong... However it seemed to me that the director, Steve James (also Stevie's "Big Brother") was, in part, trying to make a movie about what a great person HE is for taking care of Stevie in a way, when in reality I feel he is partially another one of the causes of Stevie's problems. Just add Steve James to the long list of people in Stevie's life who have abandoned him when he really needed someone. I think if more people in his life had actually helped him he wouldn't have turned into the person he did. *I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't yet seen the movie.* Even though Steve James openly admits that he only became a "Big Brother" to Stevie as part of a class he took in college and that sometimes he dreaded having to spend time with him. This documentary is okay, I would recommend people see it just so maybe we will learn to have more compassion for those around us who aren't as fortunate or as learned as the rest of us.

Bleak

[ellkew · 4 August 2008]

A film that holds a mirror up to society. One that says we are all interconnected. We can all play a part. We can all help. The film left me saddened. Sad for the victim. Sad for the perpetrator. Sad for the family. Sad for the partner. I did not feel sadness for the filmmaker. I felt he was not there for Stevie. If the references to him being 'big brother' were removed from the film I would not have realised they had any history together such was their negative body language together. Sometimes it made me squirm it was so awkward when they were in the same scenes together. I felt for Stevie. His circumstances were awful. He seemed destined to fall. At one point I felt a glimmer of hope but it was short-lived. There were some standout scenes. Where Stevie and his partner go to Chicago and visit her friend who was sexually abused as a child talking about the effect on her life of the assault. The scene where Stevie goes back to visit his foster parents reveals a different side of his personality that springs from somewhere deep inside him as though it had been locked away for years. The moment his mother hugs him after he goes into prison is something she should have done many years ago, perhaps when he was a young boy instead of hitting him in the face. What goes around comes around. I felt the filmmaker could have offered or at least been seen to offer more advice to Stevie. To try and have a more open conversation with him. Maybe he tried but he comes across badly in my mind. Overall the film makes me despair at the way we live our lives and the fragility of the human condition. It leaves me feeling there is no hope.

Outstanding effort to understand something terrible

[Horticulturalist · 9/10 · 6 December 2003]

There are are least two reasons to watch this movie.

First, I found this a fascinating sketch of how the criminal justice system deals with (and I think I'm being fair here) ignorant criminal defendants relying on public defenders. This isn't a slam on Stevie's attorney, but a system that gives defendants a false sense of choice. The result of the final courtroom hearing clearly indicates that Stevie had no understanding of what was going on.

Think about that when someone like Stevie is on death row, suddenly attracting dozens of well-meaning high powered lawyers working on his case pro bono. When we hear of these last minute appeals, we tend to dismiss them as last gasp efforts. In reality, the last minute for people like Stevie is sometimes the first time anybody asked whether he understood what rights he was actually waiving when he plead gulity/waived an appeal or counsel/you name it.

The second reason to catch this movie is to see people with diabilities portrayed honestly. The girlfriend is amazing, stunted and savant all at once. (Don't listen to crap about the director paying for her teeth repair. A. It isn't necessarily a permanent capping, it could be a removable cosmetic cap that she used intermittedly. B. Who says that Steve paid for it? She's got some government sponsored medical care for her disabilities that may have covered her cap? C. Who cares if Steve paid for it? He's human. In Hoop Dreams, the crew helped pay the electricity bills.) The highlight character is her friend in Chicago. although she's hard to understand, she's smarter than anyone else in the movie. Steve should have made a movie about her.

The movie lacks the fireworks of recent more popular documentaries, like the Friedmans, Spellbound, etc. But, if we want perfectly edited, neatly condensed stories that are morally uplifting, check out the 700 Club. If you're interested in how strong-willed, but disadvantaged people deal with overwhelming personal and legal problems, this is worth a little bit of your time.

Beyond a documentary. A historical document.

[wastebot · 9/10 · 20 April 2003]

9 of 10

And it provides some answers to what might happen if you went home with a Jerry Springer guest.

A documentary that lacks the polish of Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, but provides great insight into parts of the USA and how to raise children. This goes into the history archives. It should become a part high-school history courses.

I had the great fortune of seeing this the same day before I saw Gummo http://us.imdb.com/Title?0119237 (the two go together so well that if it had been one movie, I'd give it a 10).

The drawbacks? Very little polish. No soundtrack or FX to reinforce important moments.

Even though it may seem like its long, you'll leave the theater wishing there had been more. Although it's raw footage, it's put together well and there aren't blurry or bumpy shots. Because its done in what amount to movie snapshots, its a little hard to get into initially. But that goes away within 15 minutes and you're drawn into the tunnel of Stevie's life and, surprisingly, the life of the film maker.

Better than Fahrenheit 9/11

[verycreepy · 10/10 · 8 January 2005]

This movie is a much better indication of how society, both blue states and red states, have avoided any real effort to take care of the youngest and most vulnerable in our society. While I agree that Stevie was ultimately responsible for what he did, all of us should hang our head in shame. This is a documentary in the true sense of the word, the filmmaker takes us returns to visit a man whom he knew as part of the big brother program and who is now in trouble for sexually assulting a young girl. It's better than Fahrenheit 9/11 because he has no axe to grind and is not heavy handed; he just documents what happens to Stevie and his family.

The saddest film, better than most of the fiction you'll ever get to see

[gomeravid · 10/10 · 2 November 2006]

The synopsis does sound terrible, however if you are willing to challenge your behalves and conceptions you'll get to see a film which is, with no better words to put it, simply unbelievable. And yes, it does require some open mind to really appreciate it, but hi, doesn't all great art does? This film will open your heart in a way you couldn't anticipate, regardless of how strongly you feel about child abuse. Stevie himself was abused and raped over and over again, from one abusing family to another. There's a commentator here that claims she knows lots of people who had it worse, well, I don't know where she's coming from but this is one horrible childhood. But like a genuine work of art this film doesn't come to advocate a man who did a terrible crime, he just trying to follow the road that was broken from the first brick.

One of the greatest cinematic works of our time that has yet to receive its recognition.

Don't blame Steve James

[rj4055 · 7/10 · 15 November 2006]

I don't think you can blame Steve James for a very honest and open portrayal of a sick and wasted life.

The real culprit is obviously the mother, not Steve James. Documentaries are not supposed to opine or edit necessarily, but tell the facts. I think this movie does this in a very honest fashion. Don't feel sorry for Stevie. When he gets out he will offend again, it's just a matter of time. Thank God we have sex offender registry laws today that will track him and send him back to prison.

It's a little too long, but still held my attention. Anyone who has seen Hoop Dreams knows that Steve James' movies are way too long anyway.

Stevie was so sad but so wonderful as a film

[btzol · 9/10 · 17 February 2006]

My heart goes out to Stevie and this documentary is a testament to the power of the people who raise children to forever shape that child's life. Stevie's mother should have been punished, not him, for ruining his life. What a tragedy. I hope he survives prison and goes on to get joy from life. He deserves joy. This documentary filmmaker is so so good.I also love Hoop Dreams which is another one of my favorites from this filmmaker. And making a documentary is a very special type of skill. Please, if the filmmakers are reading this, do a sequel and let us find out what happens when Stevie is back in the world after prison. And what happened to his then-girlfriend? A fascinating saga well told.

Thank you for making this film.

I do not agree that Stevie was "enabled" by anyone!

[jvehorn · 10/10 · 9 May 2006]

I don't think the person that wrote the review i read even watched this movie at all to get an opinion like the one i just read. This kid was rejected, abused in some manner, and let down by almost every adult he encountered in his entire young life. I think his own mother actually set him up to go to prison deliberately by her knowledge of his mental problems and the fact she was a participant in leaving him alone to watch young children knowing full well what could happen. This kid never had a chance. The foster parents said they had actually had to interevene and stop other boys from sexually assaulting Stevie when he was in their care, and yet left him to fend the other boys off for himself, knowing he would probably be raped, which he was, without a look backward. These people all sicken me. They were each and every one as responsible for how Stevie turned out as he has. The only real love this kid ever got was from his step grandparents. And even the grandfather died when Stevie was still a young boy. What the hell did they THINK was going to happen to Stevie?? I pray somehow the rest of his life turns out better than the miserable hell he experienced as a child. Kids raised the way this boy was are doomed from day 1. I hope his mother rots in hell for the part she played in his destruction. Good luck Stevie, may God watch over you. And may God hold an uncaring society responsible for looking the other way when you needed them most.

what a waste of time

[lica_sto · 4/10 · 24 September 2003]

i just finished this movie! my thoughts echo exactly what every other bad review of this film has pointed out!!!

in addition, i also felt that this movie was extremely contrived!! Steve James does a poor job of depicting the 'true' feelings and lives of these people. my impression was that the people interviewed played to the camera almost the entire time. there were a few genuine people, among them the neighbor fishing buddy as well as his foster parents. however, it felt like Steve James wanted nothing else than to make a film that would serve his own purpose: a personal cathartic journey to work through his own personal guilt.

i couldn't help but feel sorry for stevie. even his own big brother cashed him in and showed no love for the boy. i would have liked to have seen a real conversation between Steve James and Stevie at some point. but instead, Steve James berated him, talked down to him, and didn't give him any loving support. if he was trying to be objective in making the film, he was obviously missing the boat...how can one possibly be objective in this situation. it would have been nice to see a bit more humanity in this 'documentary.'

my last thoughts on this film: was stevie's life any better from the making of this film, or was it made worse? did the return of Steve James into Stevie's life provide him with any addtional love and support which would be anticipated from a 'big brother' or did it make a case for not trusting those who say they care for you?

i pick the latter.

Complex and without answers - but that is fine

[janglyshock · 9 December 2003]

It's interesting to read peoples' reviews of this. There definitely seems to be the either love it or hate it perspective going on. I found the film to not be defined that easily however, which I think contributes to its effectiveness. It's complicated, and I found myself changing my mind on many of the film's points throughout the film and even now, after seeing the film a week ago. Many have criticized the director's perceived exploitation of Stevie. I don't see it that way. I see it as honest. James indicates early on that when Stevie was assigned to him, he wished he would have gotten a kid that he shared common interests with or could at least identify with better. It takes guts to admit that. That's honest. The fact is he stuck it out with Stevie, and did the best he could. It appears later in the film he might have abandon Stevie, but - it is a fact of life that sometimes things like that happen without a reason. I think throughout the film James was trying to walk the line of what was best for Stevie and most appropriate as far as his involvement with Stevie and his family. Sure there is a question as to how Stevie benefits from this film - will it make his life better? Probably not. Will it make a difference a few years from now? Probably not. I was fascinated by the film and its ability to shift my emotions so dramatically. I think the fact it does not answer the questions makes it more compelling. You actually have to think about it yourself.

American Peoples

[comm-1 · 10/10 · 24 November 2004]

Extraordinary, precious, state of the art documentary.

And talking about this doc you can make an easy test.

A) Do you think Stevie is a wrong empatizing attempt to defend a monster genetically perverted?

• You are a monster and your dangerous insanity is one of the reasons of the hell on earth.

B) Do you think Stevie is an insider report about life devastation and evil transmission where abuser and abused are part of a violent educational chain?

• Welcome to humanity. We have to fight against ignorance and prejudice.