Losing Isaiah
A birth mother battling addiction confronts the adoptive family and legal system that have raised her abandoned son.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- serious
- melodramatic
- emotionally charged
- serious drama night
- social issue film discussion
What critics said
Critics found the film's themes worthwhile and ambitious but felt its melodramatic storytelling weakened the material.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The central conflict moves toward a court case over Isaiah's custody and parental identity.
Isaiah is raised by a white social worker and her husband while his African-American birth mother seeks his return.
Khaila's crack addiction and abandonment lead social services and the courts to determine Isaiah's fate.
The film combines addiction, adoption, race, and custody litigation in an openly emotional dramatic register.
Films like Losing Isaiah, and why
Secrets & Lies
shared family separation, adoption conflict, and emotionally charged social-issue drama
Kramer vs. Kramer
shared courtroom-centered domestic conflict and competing claims of parenthood
The Cider House Rules
shared adoption, race, and institutional questions rendered through earnest family drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Stephen Gyllenhaal
- Release Date
- 1995-03-17
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (110)
Cast
- Jessica Lange
- Halle Berry
- David Strathairn
- Cuba Gooding Jr.
- Daisy Eagan
- Marc John Jefferies
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Joie Lee
- Regina Taylor
- LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Losing Isaiah about?
- A birth mother battling addiction confronts the adoptive family and legal system that have raised her abandoned son.
- What is Losing Isaiah like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Losing Isaiah as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Losing Isaiah violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Losing Isaiah as mild.
- What did critics think of Losing Isaiah?
- Critics found the film's themes worthwhile and ambitious but felt its melodramatic storytelling weakened the material.
- Which films are like Losing Isaiah?
- Films with a similar feel include Secrets & Lies, Kramer vs. Kramer, and The Cider House Rules.
- How long is Losing Isaiah?
- Losing Isaiah runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Losing Isaiah?
- In United States, Losing Isaiah is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
