Author: Marci Kelemen
Location: Hungary
"ISSUE"
Directed by Richard LaGravenese
Written by Richard LaGravenese
Cast
Tamlyn Tomita as Ms. Nguyen
Braeden Lemasters as Brad
Jena Malone as Dr. Haley Scholl
Tagline: “One way. Or another.”
Synopsis
Issue
Ms. Nguyen stared at the student with asking-eyes. She knew, that the boy lost his father in a car accident and his mother doesn’t really care about him, but she wouldn’t imagine, that the rather purposive and wise young boy treated this loss in that way, that he smuggled drugs for students. She was angry with Brad, but at the back of her mind, she knew, that if she would bring him to the principal’s, it can became a police issue and proceeding – but she didn’t wanted it. The PE teacher liked to solve her problems in her way. It was important to her to show the student the consequences of his decision. After a longer talk she let the boy to the classroom with a condition: he should looking for a specialist with his psychic problems. She gave him a phone number and ensured the depressive boy about her support.
The Treatment
Dr. Haley Scholl, brand new therapist, wore panties and high-heeled shoes. A gold anklet decorated her and she wore her short, curly fair hair untied and rhinestones glittered on every fingernail. The extravagant woman was ready for her first ever therapy. She greeted reassuringly the shy Brad and hugged him. In the first minutes, the conversation started slowly, but after a short time the boy opened his heart and talked about his father’s death and how he dropped into a drug business. Haley didn’t show so much interest about the speech, but she couldn’t bear not to see the boy’s lips. She always liked younger boys. The seconds spent and Haley liked the boy even more and she was ready for the next step. She raised her right leg, took the high-heeled shoe off, then put her leg straightly to Brad’s lap. There was silence in the room. Brad looked astonished how the woman moved her leg but he hadn’t resist. Haley gave a massage to the boy on his lap, who loudly and joyfully began to sigh.
Reveals a Secret
Brad didn’t want to hear about Ms. Nguyen. In vain wanted the woman to know, what was going on the first course, but the boy left her high and dry, when she asked him. The PE teacher decided to find out the happenings. Ms. Nguyen found out, when Brad would take part in the next therapy and went in for the boy’s condition. While she was waiting in the front hall, the therapist arrived, who greeted her with a friendly smile. Ms. Nguyen introduced herself as Brad’s foster mother and inquired about the boy’s course. Dr. Haley Scholl answered profession-accurately to every single question, then said goodbye to each other.
Ms. Nguyen went to the nearest supermarket but she realized that she left her mobile phone at the therapist’s waiting room, so she went back. Loud laugh were heard in the waiting room, when she arrived. Ms. Nguyen suspected something wrong and entered the office and caught Brad with the therapist in fault. The teacher without hesitation reached Haley and taking her hair tousled her from the teenager, and then asked for explanation. Brad got a hysteric attack and swore to Ms. Nguyen, then ran out and shut the door.
The Fact
Two weeks after, Brad was found overdosed to death in a container.
One Day
Ms. Nguyen stood in the largest shopping center of the town and stared at the blond woman, who held her little child in her arms. Haley Scholl, entrained therapist, ex-convict accused with pedophilia and profession-libel smiled happily at her daughter. Ms. Nguyen, the retired teacher walked slowly toward the woman. Haley immediately recognized the coming woman and started to go to the exit. But Ms. Nguyen was faster and arrived before her. The two women stared at themselves for seconds, and then Ms. Nguyen stroked the child’s face and looked at Haley. ‘One day, you have to explain her, what you have done. That you are her morally uncertain mother, who made a teenage boy commit suicide.’ she said and then left the young mother.
Awards Campaign
That’s true, that Afro-American actors don’t have enough role in Hollywood and directors don’t ask them often for main roles, screenplay-writers also don’t write them roles and even studios don’t looking for them – but we can see, Asians have more difficult situation. In the most films, Asians are cliché characters, who eat strange food; they are really religious and move good in fighting scenes. In this film, they left the boring stereotype and a strong, independent PE teacher’s role was given for Tamlyn Tomita, who definitely and incredible accuracy played everybody from the scene. In Ms. Nguyen’s role we can meet a conscientious and compromise-ready teacher, who deals with the interest of the students, and their problems, and she wants to solve them. She chose at random a therapist for the depressive Brad, and worked for weeks on the solution of the boy’s school success, how can she achieve the boy to leave the drug business. Of course, she isn’t perfect and gives the boy to wrong hands, which leads to a serious tragedy. Ms. Nguyen have never forgiven to herself, that she advised Dr. Haley Scholl to Brad, and Tomita’s immaculate performance shows the viewer, that one can make a life-death decision with the best intention. Braeden Lemasters’ name is not famous in Hollywood, but we can think after his performance, that he absolutely takes place among the biggest stars of the film industry. The depressive and sensitive boy’s role was a gift-role for him, whose sensitively naïf character was brilliantly played and this wasn’t expected from him. He makes a perfect couple with Jena Malone. The chemistry is absolutely working between them and he could show his obviously unforgettable talent in the incredibly powerful scenes. In the film, Brad starts a drug business after his father’s death and tries to getting out the situation with a therapist’s help. But the therapist, instead of supporting him in a psychic way, she uses the boy’s sexual intentions and as we can say, destroys his chance of healing. Braeden Lemasters is unforgettable! Jena Malone‘s supporting performance as Dr. Haley Scholl is rather complicated: firstly flirt and bohemian, then sexy and in the end tragic. The young therapist made a secret affair with the depressive adolescent instead of curing his psychic problems. Of course the horny teen didn’t disagree. The young woman didn’t expect, that this relationship wouldn’t help Brad’s emotional wobbling, maniac depression and drug consuming, alas! The boy felt, that if he could find a woman, whom he could fulfill his sexual intentions, he can do anything. Malone’s character gets a bittersweet ending: despite the fact, she becomes a mother, sits in a jail. The people won’t forget her performance and she became stigmatized. In the last scene Haley faces the known justice, which is on hear mind every single day after her daughter’s birth. Once, she must stand before the girl and tell her, what happened. Malone rules her character with movingly frankness and its fantastic drama slowly bursts us into tears. The movie itself is very engaging, tells a tragic story with depth and extremely emotional dialogues. The director and the screenwriter worked together perfectly, showing such interesting human fates and relationships. The independent drama dealing with drug addiction, sexual abusing, pedophilia and mental illness the most incorrupt way which is pretty admirable. One of the greatest this month.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Best Picture
Best Director: Richard LaGravenese
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Braeden Lemasters
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Tamlyn Tomita
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jena Malone
Best Original Screenplay: Richard LaGravenese
Best Cast
Best Casting Choice: Tamlyn Tomita as Ms. Nguyen
Best Casting Choice: Jena Malone as Dr. Haley Scholl
Most Original Character: Ms. Nguyen, played by Tamlyn Tomita
Best Plot/Synopsis
Best Awards Campaign
Best Tagline: “One way. Or another.”
Location: Hungary
"ISSUE"
Directed by Richard LaGravenese
Written by Richard LaGravenese
Cast
Tamlyn Tomita as Ms. Nguyen
Braeden Lemasters as Brad
Jena Malone as Dr. Haley Scholl
Tagline: “One way. Or another.”
Synopsis
Issue
Ms. Nguyen stared at the student with asking-eyes. She knew, that the boy lost his father in a car accident and his mother doesn’t really care about him, but she wouldn’t imagine, that the rather purposive and wise young boy treated this loss in that way, that he smuggled drugs for students. She was angry with Brad, but at the back of her mind, she knew, that if she would bring him to the principal’s, it can became a police issue and proceeding – but she didn’t wanted it. The PE teacher liked to solve her problems in her way. It was important to her to show the student the consequences of his decision. After a longer talk she let the boy to the classroom with a condition: he should looking for a specialist with his psychic problems. She gave him a phone number and ensured the depressive boy about her support.
The Treatment
Dr. Haley Scholl, brand new therapist, wore panties and high-heeled shoes. A gold anklet decorated her and she wore her short, curly fair hair untied and rhinestones glittered on every fingernail. The extravagant woman was ready for her first ever therapy. She greeted reassuringly the shy Brad and hugged him. In the first minutes, the conversation started slowly, but after a short time the boy opened his heart and talked about his father’s death and how he dropped into a drug business. Haley didn’t show so much interest about the speech, but she couldn’t bear not to see the boy’s lips. She always liked younger boys. The seconds spent and Haley liked the boy even more and she was ready for the next step. She raised her right leg, took the high-heeled shoe off, then put her leg straightly to Brad’s lap. There was silence in the room. Brad looked astonished how the woman moved her leg but he hadn’t resist. Haley gave a massage to the boy on his lap, who loudly and joyfully began to sigh.
Reveals a Secret
Brad didn’t want to hear about Ms. Nguyen. In vain wanted the woman to know, what was going on the first course, but the boy left her high and dry, when she asked him. The PE teacher decided to find out the happenings. Ms. Nguyen found out, when Brad would take part in the next therapy and went in for the boy’s condition. While she was waiting in the front hall, the therapist arrived, who greeted her with a friendly smile. Ms. Nguyen introduced herself as Brad’s foster mother and inquired about the boy’s course. Dr. Haley Scholl answered profession-accurately to every single question, then said goodbye to each other.
Ms. Nguyen went to the nearest supermarket but she realized that she left her mobile phone at the therapist’s waiting room, so she went back. Loud laugh were heard in the waiting room, when she arrived. Ms. Nguyen suspected something wrong and entered the office and caught Brad with the therapist in fault. The teacher without hesitation reached Haley and taking her hair tousled her from the teenager, and then asked for explanation. Brad got a hysteric attack and swore to Ms. Nguyen, then ran out and shut the door.
The Fact
Two weeks after, Brad was found overdosed to death in a container.
One Day
Ms. Nguyen stood in the largest shopping center of the town and stared at the blond woman, who held her little child in her arms. Haley Scholl, entrained therapist, ex-convict accused with pedophilia and profession-libel smiled happily at her daughter. Ms. Nguyen, the retired teacher walked slowly toward the woman. Haley immediately recognized the coming woman and started to go to the exit. But Ms. Nguyen was faster and arrived before her. The two women stared at themselves for seconds, and then Ms. Nguyen stroked the child’s face and looked at Haley. ‘One day, you have to explain her, what you have done. That you are her morally uncertain mother, who made a teenage boy commit suicide.’ she said and then left the young mother.
Awards Campaign
That’s true, that Afro-American actors don’t have enough role in Hollywood and directors don’t ask them often for main roles, screenplay-writers also don’t write them roles and even studios don’t looking for them – but we can see, Asians have more difficult situation. In the most films, Asians are cliché characters, who eat strange food; they are really religious and move good in fighting scenes. In this film, they left the boring stereotype and a strong, independent PE teacher’s role was given for Tamlyn Tomita, who definitely and incredible accuracy played everybody from the scene. In Ms. Nguyen’s role we can meet a conscientious and compromise-ready teacher, who deals with the interest of the students, and their problems, and she wants to solve them. She chose at random a therapist for the depressive Brad, and worked for weeks on the solution of the boy’s school success, how can she achieve the boy to leave the drug business. Of course, she isn’t perfect and gives the boy to wrong hands, which leads to a serious tragedy. Ms. Nguyen have never forgiven to herself, that she advised Dr. Haley Scholl to Brad, and Tomita’s immaculate performance shows the viewer, that one can make a life-death decision with the best intention. Braeden Lemasters’ name is not famous in Hollywood, but we can think after his performance, that he absolutely takes place among the biggest stars of the film industry. The depressive and sensitive boy’s role was a gift-role for him, whose sensitively naïf character was brilliantly played and this wasn’t expected from him. He makes a perfect couple with Jena Malone. The chemistry is absolutely working between them and he could show his obviously unforgettable talent in the incredibly powerful scenes. In the film, Brad starts a drug business after his father’s death and tries to getting out the situation with a therapist’s help. But the therapist, instead of supporting him in a psychic way, she uses the boy’s sexual intentions and as we can say, destroys his chance of healing. Braeden Lemasters is unforgettable! Jena Malone‘s supporting performance as Dr. Haley Scholl is rather complicated: firstly flirt and bohemian, then sexy and in the end tragic. The young therapist made a secret affair with the depressive adolescent instead of curing his psychic problems. Of course the horny teen didn’t disagree. The young woman didn’t expect, that this relationship wouldn’t help Brad’s emotional wobbling, maniac depression and drug consuming, alas! The boy felt, that if he could find a woman, whom he could fulfill his sexual intentions, he can do anything. Malone’s character gets a bittersweet ending: despite the fact, she becomes a mother, sits in a jail. The people won’t forget her performance and she became stigmatized. In the last scene Haley faces the known justice, which is on hear mind every single day after her daughter’s birth. Once, she must stand before the girl and tell her, what happened. Malone rules her character with movingly frankness and its fantastic drama slowly bursts us into tears. The movie itself is very engaging, tells a tragic story with depth and extremely emotional dialogues. The director and the screenwriter worked together perfectly, showing such interesting human fates and relationships. The independent drama dealing with drug addiction, sexual abusing, pedophilia and mental illness the most incorrupt way which is pretty admirable. One of the greatest this month.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Best Picture
Best Director: Richard LaGravenese
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Braeden Lemasters
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Tamlyn Tomita
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jena Malone
Best Original Screenplay: Richard LaGravenese
Best Cast
Best Casting Choice: Tamlyn Tomita as Ms. Nguyen
Best Casting Choice: Jena Malone as Dr. Haley Scholl
Most Original Character: Ms. Nguyen, played by Tamlyn Tomita
Best Plot/Synopsis
Best Awards Campaign
Best Tagline: “One way. Or another.”