Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

mazinman-1 A gripping, if not tragic, documentary about a person on the fringes of society. The title subject, Stevie, is a child born as a result of his mother's infidelity and with subtle mental issues. Abandoned early in life, Stevie bounces from foster home to foster home, all while being sexually, mentally, and physically abused along the way. A documentary film maker, Steve James, returns to rural southern Illinois to catch up on the boy he befriended as an advocate big brother 10 years prior, only to find Stevie has made 10 years worth of poor choices, criminal acts, and associated with the wrong crowd. The film unfolds through two and half hours to give the details of the consequence of Stevie's choices. The film maker wrestles with the moral dilemma of not judging Stevie, remaining his advocate big brother and at the same time using Stevie as a subject of his documentary film.

Tua Sane this doco kept me glued to my seat through its entirety strictly because of the tragic and appalling set of circumstances and revelations that kept this story about a boys broken life moving forward so miserably that i needed to know what became of him....i should of known! Im not sure whether the director's intentions were to solely benefit himself but as an "ex big brother" he didn't offer much guidance. In a way i blame Steve James for Stevies full 10year jail sentence because Stevie was convinced he had done nothing wrong and wouldn't admit to nothing... i think Steve could have talked sense into him and he would of got a much lighter sentence had he just admitted to it then gotten the real help he needed.

coal_jackson this dirty guy should have got life he had or tried to have sex with an 8 year old girl and look at the way he acts no way should this idiot be let out on the streets so he can do something worse and then this girlfriend of his the worse says i don't want him to go to jail i love him don't you realize this guy done a sex crime on an 8 year old little girl you are a true moron you are as stupid as a box of rocks and so is that idiot girlfriend of yours you should be locked up for the rest of your life you are also a very ugly looking person and the inside of you is even worse you act stupid you look stupid and you are a filthy dirty sex offender on a little 8 year old girl i truly hope one day i read about a horrible death that became you because the world would be a better place without you in it

Bettye Zoller 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.