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pineywoodsmiss
Reviews
Tales from the Darkside: The Tear Collector (1985)
Somber, enigmatic episode
The main character, Prudence, suffers from depression and cries a lot. Unfortunately, everyone tells her to "stop crying!" which makes her feel like a lonely misfit. One day she is walking down the street and a homeless man begins to harass her. As she flees the homeless man she runs into a somber yet handsome man - Ambrose - who is dressed in a nice suit and drives a fancy car. He tells her that she is the person he has been looking for and invites her to visit him. Prudence goes to his house and finds the door unlocked so she steps inside and begins to explore. Is it a house or a cozy office? She finds a room with a fainting couch, a chair, a table and a lamp - much like a psychiatrists' office. Then she sees a glowing door and tries to peep through the keyhole. Ambrose shows up and tells her that he is a tear collector and he wants to collect her tears in a small glass vial shaped like a swan. She agrees to let him collect her tears and then as she is leaving, Ambrose thrusts some money into her hand, telling her to come back soon. She does... This is a strange episode that leaves unanswered questions. Yet the atmosphere and characters are wonderfully somber and enigmatic. This one makes you keep thinking about the episode for a long time after you see it.
Broken Child (2000)
Heartbreaking stories of neglected & abused children
This doc is about moms who use drugs while pregnant and the damage it causes their unborn children. It is also about moms trying to raise children while using drugs and/or living in violent neighborhoods. It is heartbreaking to see children living in squalid home conditions and children living on the streets in a nation we call the world's only super-power. I will never forget the scene where the social workers come to investigate a filthy-dirty trailer home where a baby and toddler are being neglected by their mentally ill mom and her boyfriend. The filthy-dirty toddler is sitting in the middle of the room with a bottle in his mouth and he has this look of hopeful astonishment on his face as if to say "You mean I count? I am somebody?" This film brought tears to my eyes.