Mockingbird Don't Sing | Full Biography Movie | Sean Young | Melissa Errico | Michael Lerner

On Nov 4, 1970, on CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite reported on a true, horrific story that was about to rock the country. A 13-year-old girl was discovered in the small Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia who was still in diapers, barely able to walk and unable to speak. Kept in severe isolation by her parents with virtually no human contact for more than 10 years, she was confined to her bedroom, tied to her potty chair and left to fend for herself. As Cronkite noted, it was one of the most horrendous cases of child abuse ever to surface. Much like an animal, the girl spat, sniffed and clawed. She had none of the traits or characteristics of conventional human behavior, nor could she comprehend such modern societal conveniences as silverware or bathroom etiquette. Her emotional development was practically non-existent, and she could not speak. With this heartbreaking story, the world was being introduced to a fragile, beautiful teenager who seemed and behaved like an infant, or Wild Child.

A 2001 American independent film based on the true story of Genie, a modern-day feral child. The film is told from the point of view of Susan Curtiss (whose fictitious name is Sandra Tannen), a professor of linguistics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Although the film is based on a true story, all of the names are fictitious for legal reasons (e.g. the pseudonym "Genie" has been changed to "Katie"). The film was released to US theaters on May 4, 2001. It won first prize for best screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (tied with Wings of Hope).

Director: Harry Bromley Davenport
Stars: Melissa Errico, Michael Lerner, Joe Regalbuto,

Brazil: O Despertar de uma Vida
Canada, France: Pour l'amour de Katie, L'enfant sauvage
India: Koyal
Japan: マネシツグミは歌わない
Norway: Wild Child, Ondskapens hjem
Poland: Ptaszek w klatce
Russia: Пересмешник не будет петь

#biography #drama #TheStreamMovies

[علیمحبی-فم]

As a father of two daughters, I was very sad and depressed when I saw this movie. God let us be kind to children

[lorastodghill]

I was beaten and horrible abused by my dad until I married at 14yrs.I still cried when he died. My tears were for my freedom, but I'll never truly be free til I pass away.😢

[BarbaraBoix]

Almost fell out of my chair when the weak ass Moma said..” I thought I could take care of her again “. AGAIN??? She NEVER took care of her. I went through similar shit whereas my brother, the perv happened to be Moma’s favorite child. Go figure. She took his side. They’re both dead now. I’m still dealing with the bs. At 59yrs old

[CrosbieLane]

Tears are streaming. If I live a thousand years, I will never understand the twisted self-gratification abusers receive from torturing children. Saddest film I've ever seen. Blessings to Katie wherever she is in the universe.

[JeannetteEvans-jt]

Great acting. It breaks my heart to know that this actually happens in the world.

[sparrowwren]

The little girl in this movie deserves and oscar for her perfomance and the mother, eek she was a real piece of work. The old man did the world a favor when he ended his life. What a story. Wow.

[dorisbergmann]

Unfortunately this is just one of many what happens behind closed doors and still happening now. So sad💔

[lindsayjenions]

Terrible, terrible, terrible! Shocking! Very sad... thanks for making a film about this - no child should suffer this.

[kittencakes]

This is a dark hole on YouTube I don’t know how I ended up in. I truly don’t understand how a man could be so cruel to his family and his little girl. I just can’t wrap my head around it. This world is full of evil.
Edit: the mom is pure 💩 too! Wow!

[fadedrose]

My very first thought, after watching this heartbreaking movie (from the 70's, right?) was - NOTHING HAS CHANGED in ALL these years!! My 2nd thought is that this movie was so well done! The acting was supburb - I did recognize Kim Darby as Katie's mom, àll the actors were great. The same movie could have been done in real time because it was so advanced. It was excellent! Thanks for sharing!!

[talindakelley]

My siblings and I are adult survivors of child abuse. The things we went through were horrific and traumatic, but when I see stories like this, I feel our story isn’t as bad as others. My mother had 2 children ( that we know of at the time)from a previous marriage, 1 girl 1boy. The girl was about 5 and the boy was about 3, from our understanding as told by aunts, uncles and cousins.
Story has it, my dad got mad at my brother and he beat him to death and then took him out in the desert of California and buried him. His body has never been recovered. Then when my sister was about 11 or 12, my parents started having sex with her, she did tell a neighbor that called the police, my dad was arrested and charged, but nothing really became of it. He just had to do some counseling and probation. That all took place in the early 60’s, I was born in 62. My parents changed their names and went on the run. But the law turns out really wasn’t even looking for them. But they didn’t know that and lived a life looking over their shoulders, but do you think that stopped them from continuing the abuse? No it did not.
My sister eventually had a baby boy by my dad when she was approximately 16, 17 years old. By this time, my parents had moved us out into the boondocks of Wisconsin. No one even knew my oldest sister existed(in Wisconsin anyway) then according to the story my dad told, our mother was the one that shot my sister, but dad helped cover it up because he buried her. And we moved again. My parents continued to raise my dad and sisters baby, like he was my mother’s baby. Then in 1954, I guess it was, my mother left my dad for another man, eventually having a daughter by him in 1955. She and my dad got back together when that baby was still new born. Eventually when that girl was about 16, she had a baby daughter by my dad. Again, my mom took that baby and also raised her as her own. They wouldn’t allow my sister anywhere near that baby. My sister was able to run away from home and we never heard from her again for several years. I left home at 16, because I was determined I was not going to end up having a baby especially by my dad.
My mother was a very willing participant in all of the abuse. I remember her coming into our bedroom in the middle of the night and getting my sister and taking her to my dad.
This mother could’ve done something a lot sooner than she did to help her daughter get out of the house. Mom may have been abused as well, but it didn’t stop her from running when she did finally. Poor Katie, went through so much. My heart breaks for her. When I saw 17 and married, my oldest brother, one of my younger brothers and I finally got the nerve up to turn our parents in. By this point it was 1979. The guy at the CPS office took the report and at one point stopped writing and turned to us and asked “Are you sure this is really what happened? Because this sounds like something Stephen King novel.”
We all assured him that yes, it all happened.
When the case finally went in front of a judge. The judge sat there going over the report and said “This is all too confusing, case dismissed!”
We were like DISMISSED?! WTH!
Yep dismissed.
70’s and 80’s I guess, were very popular when people didn’t “stick” their noses in other peoples business. By the time I was like 13, my parents had a service station, and I remember pumping gas for this guy and we automatically washed the car windows. He could hear my dad beating the literal crap out of my youngest brother out in the garage and he told me not to worry about the windshield and when his car was done filling up, man hauled ass out of there. I don’t know how many times we heard our dad say to us “If any of you ever decide to turn me in, when I get out of jail, I will plant you six feet under, ”
And knowing he already did that to 2 of us, we knew he meant it.
My older sister told a counselor at school, damn counselor told my parents what she said and our parents pulled my sister out of school. And no one from the school thought that was odd? I guess not because they never came by to check on my sister. Years later, my oldest brother told some friends of the family and they too told our parents what my brother has told them.
Our parents made up some story like my brother having mental issues, AND THE DAMN PEOPLE BOUGHT IT!!! And said “Yeah we figured as much, because we couldn’t see you all doing such horrible things.”
My brother and I wanted to slap the snot out of those people 🤣🤣🤣
But we didn’t dare say a thing and my brother did what he did best, he ran away from home. Didn’t see him again for a few years, which really didn’t surprise us.
Even with our horror story, there are many others out there experience things just as bad if not worse.

[lydiat]

Really, some people don't deserve to have children.

[tireenamoore]

This was a sad movie, but I will never not smile when Rob is on screen. He was nothing to Sandra but supportive and the sweetest guy.

[happycat]

Very good movie! I remember studying about this case in my earlier Psychology and Education classes at university. What psychology teaches us is that poor parenting is the main cause of all mental problems in adults.

[angelarose]

Where does mom get off trying to tell them how to raise the child she failed to raise properly?
She’s lucky she even gets to visit.

[torriebrown]

The mother should have been put in jail for allowing the abuse to going on so long. I heart crys for poor Katie. Smh smh

[sarahholland]

The psychiatrist who took her into his family, used her as a research project, then dumped her back into care because his 'research' was viewed as having no intellectual basis or value & so, denied more funding, should have been disbarred. Jeannie, then put into several abusive foster homes, regressed & became selectively mute but was forbidden to use the sign language she'd been taught by the ultra religous Foster carers she ended up with long term. (A stint living with her real mother ended badly after 3months). In her adult life she was/is living in a small house with a few other challenged adults which is supervised by 2-3 resident Carers 24/7. She swims weekly & loves classical music. The female student who built a really close bond with her after she was rescued & while she was living with the Psychiatrist is now a language Professor & is still not allowed to visit her under the now deceased mothers instructions. The mothers eyesight deteriorated again after the operation the Psychiatrist paid for & she remained deeply resentful of anyone who tried to help her daughter .

[karenmcconnell]

This story was so unbelievably sad!! I think the best thing for Katie would have been for Sandra to have remained in Katie's life!!!

[lilypanyangkibutsuji]

The child actor of Katie is mind blowing

[janetarce]

Katie was improving tremendously!! It's LOVE and Stability that makes all the difference to a child's development .

So sad, 😢 God send angels to Katie ❤🙏🙏🙏😇😇😇😇😇