''America'' is a 2009 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Yves Simoneau Yves Simoneau (; born October 28, 1955) is a Canadian film and television director. Simoneau was born in Quebec City, Quebec. Recognition His acclaimed 1986 crime drama '' Intimate Power (Pouvoir intime)'' garnered multiple Genie Awards nominat ...

and starring

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of ''A Raisin in the Sun'' (19 ...

and

Philip Johnson Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the pos ...

. It was written by

Joyce Eliason Joyce Eliason (May 14, 1934 – January 10, 2022) was an American television writer and producer. She was best known for writing TV miniseries including ''Titanic'' and ''The Last Don'', and for the TV film ''The Jacksons: An American Dream''. El ...

. The film is based on the

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

''America'' by E. R. Frank. It premiered on February 28, 2009, on

Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...

Plot

biracial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

17-year-old boy named America, who has experienced a difficult life of

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

and

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

, undergoes

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of co ...

with

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

Maureen Brennan to help him come to terms with his painful past of childhood trauma, including growing up with and abandoned by a mother suffering from drug addiction and being shuffled through a series of foster homes including the Harpers. The film starts with Dr. Brennan at a group home where she is giving a small introduction about the outlook for most of the group home children's futures. A young America, emotionally vacant and suicidal, comes to the attention of Brennan. When Dr. Brennan tries to talk to America, he refuses to give her any answers about his childhood. Eventually Dr. Brennan helps him understand his troubled past in order to find the courage to move on and survive. Helps him to forgive and forget, in order to be able to move forward in life.

Cast

as America *

as Dr. Maureen Brennan *

as Mrs. Harper *Tim Rhoze as Reggie Harper *Toya Turner as America's Mother/Susana *

Raquel Castro Raquel Castro is an American actress and singer. She is known for starring in the 2004 film '' Jersey Girl'' as Gertie Trinké, the daughter of Ollie Trinké (Ben Affleck) and Gertrude Steiney (Jennifer Lopez), for which Castro won the Young Art ...

as Liza *

Jade Yorker Jade Scott Yorker (born June 16, 1985) is an American actor of film and television. Among his TV credits are '' Cosby'', ''Third Watch'' and ''Law & Order''. His most famous role is the role of William "Willie" Weathers in ''Gridiron Gang''. He ...

as Brooklyn *Dante Brown as Young Brooklyn (6 years old) *Michael Algieri as Young America (6 years old) *Nikolas Zilafro as a Young Boy *

Logan Huffman Logan Huffman (born December 22, 1989) is an American actor. He appeared in the 2009 TV series '' V'' and starred in the 2013 film ''Bad Turn Worse''. Personal life Huffman was born in Noblesville, Indiana, where he was the first born of tripl ...

as Marshall *Shannon Riddick as Teen *Kyle Clarington as Counselor *Kojo Asiedu as Don *Bubba Weiler as Fish *Courtney Benjamin as Sheriff Romero *

David Aron Damane David Aron Damane is an American actor, and writer. He made his television debut on Cosby, followed by roles on Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago P.D., Jett, and Dynasty. In 2020, he was nominated for the Drama Desk ...

as Bobby Crisp *Penny Gibbs as Social Worker *Doug Hamilton as Judge *Richard Goteri as Head Cook *Dave Kilgore as Businessman (uncredited) *Dalibor Stolevski as Cook (uncredited)

Screening

The moving teledrama film of tragic but ultimately hopeful events of transformative healing based on a novel by E.R. Frank, premiered on

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

on February 28, 2009 against critical acclaim and was repeated on March 1 and 3, 2009 on the same channel. Its showing also led to public discussion about the system of foster care. Rosie O'Donnell explained the dilemma of "aging out of the foster care system" when young people in foster care are left out of the system when they reach 18 (21 in a few U.S. states), as all services are cut. O'Donnel; explains that most of these kids end up as homeless or in jail.Rosie O'Donnell and Ruby Dee on Tyra Banks Show on February 27, 2009
/ref>

DVD

The DVD of the film was released on September 1, 2009.

''America'' (2002 novel)

The film is based on ''America'', a

written by E.R. Frank. It tells the story of America, a fifteen-year-old

boy who had gotten lost in the system. The author of the book, E.R. Frank, is herself a

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

er. In an author's note at the end of the book, she says she has worked with many Americas over the years.

References

External links

* * {{Yves Simoneau 2009 television films 2009 films 2009 drama films Films based on American novels 2000s English-language films Films directed by Yves Simoneau Films scored by Normand Corbeil Lifetime (TV network) films Sony Pictures films American drama television films 2000s American films