Should an African-American child be raised by Anglo-American parents? This is the perplexing question raised in Stephen Gyllengaal's tragic "Losing Isaiah", the story of the desperate custody battle between the white adoptive parents and the black biological mother of little four year old Isaiah. Khaila Richards has discovered that the baby she left in a cardboard box is still alive and lays claim to him, stating that he should not be raised by parents of a differing colour. Margaret and Charles Lewin will not concede without a fight though, and they enlist an African-American attorney to represent their cause.<br /><br />Director Gyllenhaal fails (incredibly) to generate compassion for any of the characters involved, not even Isaiah! Naomi Foner's screenplay (from Seth Margolis' novel) has unfortunately underdeveloped its pivotal players, and thus we are unable to associate with them and get under their skin. The characters of Khaila and Charles Lewin are particularly overlooked.<br /><br />Here we have a film that presents a shocking and challenging topic without (somehow) shocking or challenging us. Failing almost entirely to invoke the emotions, I was no more inspired than having read the story in the newspaper. Marc John Jefferies is cute, yet Gyllenhaal barely even plays on this, amazingly.<br /><br />Both Director and screenwriter have skimmed over the top of all the sensitive issues and shirked all the antagonistic problems that "Losing Isaiah" raises. They never stir deeply enough nor give the movie a harsh enough edge. The soft ending is a major disappointment too, when this picture desperately needed a hard-hitting finale to drive home a point, one Mr. Gyllenhaal's film never had to make in the first place.<br /><br />Racial issues throughout are intriguing yet sadly never fully examined. Should black and white mix when it comes to raising children? Can white folks raise an African-American child satisfactorily, so that he has a full understanding of who he is, his heritage, and so that he's sure of his position in society and is able to form and maintain stable relationships? Then again, is an ex-crack addict who threw her new born baby out with the trash fit to be a mother? The ultimate question is of course, what's best for Isaiah? With all this in mind, the whole movie just did not have the impact it required and will leave you untouched.<br /><br />All the acting is of a good standard, though never to the height it could have been. Both David Strathairn and Samuel L. Jackson ("Pulp Fiction") are hard pressed to do anything with their limited roles, Halle Berry shows she's on the rise with a convincing portrayal of Khaila, while Jessica Lange is strong but she's been infinitely better. In fact the most disappointing thing about Ms. Lange's showing was her appearance! She looked dreadful, as if she hadn't slept in days, and her hair was awful. Certainly a far cry from the gorgeous blonde in "Tootsie".<br /><br />It was great to hear another fine Mark Isham score.<br /><br />Tuesday, June 6, 1995 - Hoyts Forest Hill Chase