I first saw this movie way back when I was a teen. I only watched the latter half of it, and it was so captivating that I spent the next few years searching for the full movie. At that time, I was doing school research on the topic of paedophilia and child pornography, and Fallen Angel was an excellent case study about how children can be lured into a world of porn and sexual exploitation which they are not yet ready for.
The story in short is about 12 year old Jennifer who felt neglected by her single-parent working-mom Sherry. She sought friendship and solace with softball coach cum child pornographer Howard, who in turn abused her trust to lure her into the world of child pornography. In the end, Jennifer must decide whether to move on with her life, or risk her reputation and face up to her painful mistakes to prevent Howard from harming any more children.
It would be easy to point the finger at the paedophile Howard (Richard Masur) and clueless mother Sherry (Melinda Dillon), but the characters are multi-layered and complex, which makes this movie so good and disturbing. Howard came from an abusive family, and so he tried to treat children with respect like adults. Unfortunately, he also fell in love with girls as if they were grown women, and he couldn't see that he was wrong in having sexual relationships with children or putting them in pornography. Despite exploiting Jennifer (Dana Hill), he was also shown as a caring and protective father figure to her, raising her self-confidence. Her mother Sherry worked hard to provide for Jennifer, but her neglect and relationship with another man pushed Jennifer away towards Howard. Even Jennifer wasn't totally innocent, as she seduced Howard into taking her in when she ran away from home.
The acting is first class. Amazingly, the late Dana Hill was about 16 at that time, but she managed to convey the image and innocence of 12 year old Jennifer convincingly. Richard Masur was perfect as a creepy paedophile, yet still manages to draw sympathy for his "condition". His character was both manipulative and child-like at the same time.
Fallen Angel doesn't defend paedophilia or parental neglect, but it does try to offer reasons and underlying circumstances for them. It also explores the budding sexuality and curiosity in children which adults tend to ignore until too late. Most importantly, it addresses the darker aspects of society that parents try to shield their kids from, which actually make them easy targets for exploitation.
Overall, Fallen Angel is an exceedingly good made-for-TV movie. It would serve as a reminder for parents to remain vigilant and to educate their preteen children against society's ills.
The story in short is about 12 year old Jennifer who felt neglected by her single-parent working-mom Sherry. She sought friendship and solace with softball coach cum child pornographer Howard, who in turn abused her trust to lure her into the world of child pornography. In the end, Jennifer must decide whether to move on with her life, or risk her reputation and face up to her painful mistakes to prevent Howard from harming any more children.
It would be easy to point the finger at the paedophile Howard (Richard Masur) and clueless mother Sherry (Melinda Dillon), but the characters are multi-layered and complex, which makes this movie so good and disturbing. Howard came from an abusive family, and so he tried to treat children with respect like adults. Unfortunately, he also fell in love with girls as if they were grown women, and he couldn't see that he was wrong in having sexual relationships with children or putting them in pornography. Despite exploiting Jennifer (Dana Hill), he was also shown as a caring and protective father figure to her, raising her self-confidence. Her mother Sherry worked hard to provide for Jennifer, but her neglect and relationship with another man pushed Jennifer away towards Howard. Even Jennifer wasn't totally innocent, as she seduced Howard into taking her in when she ran away from home.
The acting is first class. Amazingly, the late Dana Hill was about 16 at that time, but she managed to convey the image and innocence of 12 year old Jennifer convincingly. Richard Masur was perfect as a creepy paedophile, yet still manages to draw sympathy for his "condition". His character was both manipulative and child-like at the same time.
Fallen Angel doesn't defend paedophilia or parental neglect, but it does try to offer reasons and underlying circumstances for them. It also explores the budding sexuality and curiosity in children which adults tend to ignore until too late. Most importantly, it addresses the darker aspects of society that parents try to shield their kids from, which actually make them easy targets for exploitation.
Overall, Fallen Angel is an exceedingly good made-for-TV movie. It would serve as a reminder for parents to remain vigilant and to educate their preteen children against society's ills.