MovieChat Forums > Gardens of the Night (2008) Discussion > So how did they get away from Tom ARnold...

So how did they get away from Tom ARnold?


It doesn't show how they got away from him and other dude and how old they were when they did. I want to know what happened to them, are they still out there kidnapping or did they ever get caught?

Also, she could have left her parents a note or call them and tell them what she is doing. Ultimate selfishness on her part. I bet her parents would have helped her find Donnie and at least helped him find a home, if not live with them. I just can't believe she would choose to live on the streets, prostituting herself when she can tell her parents missed her, looked for her, loved her. Depressing movie and horrible ending.

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Dont know how they got away. Wondering that too.

but as for the part about her parents loving her and missing her, i think she thought it was to late. her family were just strangers to her now. Her mom and dad moved on and had more kids who where told their other sister was "in heaven"
She watched as her dad gave them a bath and they just had this "normal" life that she wasn't apart of, and could never form into. i could understand for her impulsive reaction to just get up and leave.
(although it maybe would have been smarter for her to at least tell them she was going to leave, maybe they could have helped her)
but hey she has basically been on her own (with the exception of donnie) a majority of her life. She may have felt their help wasnt needed.

*i loved this movie.

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[deleted]

^^ lol. that response was completely crude but incredibly funny.

*Common sense is not so common

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[deleted]

According to the DVD special features, Leslie and Donnie did not escape - they were abandoned at 13 by Alex and Frank. My guess would be because they had both gotten too old to be of use to them. They wouldn't keep them around if they couldn't bring in money anymore. It would just be two extra mouths to feed. It's likely that after Leslie and Donnie were dumped, Alex and Frank kidnapped another kid or two to replace them. And it started all over again.

As for Leslie being "selfish," I think that's a gross misinterpretation of her actions. I'm going to assume that you are young and/or have little understanding of human psychology.

After the scene where Leslie finds out her parents have been looking for her, I expected the next few scenes would be: Leslie in therapy, Leslie preparing herself to meet her parents, more therapy, and finally the family reunion. But it seems like they just shoved her in a cab and told her to go home and the whole time I was thinking, "No, no. That's not going to work. She's not ready. She won't be able to handle it." And that's exactly how the story played out.

What a complete disaster! Her parents obviously had no inkling of what she had gone through and were not prepared to deal with such a damaged young woman. And she herself was not prepared to meet them. Without intensive therapy to break down YEARS of systematic abuse and brainwashing by Alex, without some sort of rehabilitation to teach her how to function in society, a girl like that - even with a beautiful home and kind, loving parents - would find herself back on the streets in no time. In her mind, leaving was a kindness. After all, who could love her after what she's done? She's damaged goods. She doesn't belong in their happy, normal home. At least, that's what she would believe about herself - because abuse like that utterly obliterates one's self-esteem. It's a tragedy, but it's realistic and truthful.

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Thank you for at least understanding and addressing that she was not being selfish by leaving.

I've been reading some interpretations of this movie, and I don't know what people expect out of this movie. This seems like a pretty real view of the world of abducted children who are sexually abused. The plot is going to play out in what some of you seem to think is the most logical way. No notes, no help from her parents. It was heartbreaking and hard to watch, but the ending, and the events leading up to it, was perfect.

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Well, slevenst, I think people expected a happy ending and they're probably upset they didn't get one.

It seems some of the people who saw the movie and then posted here are probably too young (immature?) to grasp the subject matter and, as I pointed out previously, have probably never sat through a psych 101 course. If they watched it again in another 10 years, something tells me they'd "get it." Or would at least have the decency not to post retarded comments like phoenix up there.

It's rated R for a reason, kiddies.

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[deleted]

Wow. Are you actually thirteen years old?

So clever. :/

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[deleted]

You think it is a horrible film because you expected a beautifully packaged Lifetime movie. This film was realistic in every sense. A girl who has been used for sex since she was a child learns to believe that she can do nothing else.

If Tom Arnold's character had been caught the children would have been rescued. I assume they ran away.

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Tom Arnold and other dude sitting next to me and drinking beer.
Regarding "she could have left her parents a note or call them and tell them what she is doing" if it wasn't that way the movie wouldn't be a movie. That's the whole idea, otherwise movie would be pointless and last 20 minutes - would you go to see such thing?

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These children were tortured and their lives ruined, they were little babies ripped into a life a sexual abuse after years of this degradation they would not be able to just be thrust into "normal" they could never cope with a happy family life ever.They would need years of help, One year of sexual abuse kills a child's soul it takes everything their heart their reason to live they just exsist. These kids just survived there was no happiness in their lives they knew nothing but pain there was no one walking them to school baking cupcakes with them taking them on vacation. They were raped anytime anywhere for years. Given to strangers for money. This happens and we all need to work to stop it.

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[deleted]

1. They probably were dumped for being too old and did not escape. They're actually lucky they weren't murdered so they wouldn't rat out the kidnappers. Which I think happens in many real cases.

2. At the end she immediately felt she could not fit into her family's life. She hadn't been exposed to a single normal person since she was 7 yrs old. She must have also felt she would corrupt or contaminate her innocent brother and sister. That she was damaged goods and would not be wanted. Or that her parents had replaced her and she had no place in the family anymore. She felt completely alienated and went back to the only life she knew.

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