House Call is an Academy Award Winning 2002 American Psychological Drama Thriller film written and directed by Gus Van Sant.
It won the Oscar for Best Screenplay 2002- Gus Van Sant and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress- Loretta Devine.
It was also nominated for a Best Director- Gus Van Sant, Best Supporting Actress- Elizabeth Banks and Best Supporting Actor- Eddie Murphy.
It features Elizabeth Banks, Sean Penn, Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Loretta Devine, Joan Allen, David Arquette, Carla Gugino, Christina Applegate, Gary Oldman, Ewan McGregor, Emily Mortimer, Ving Rhames and Martin Freeman.
Story[]
Two abusive upper class parents fight to keep their family secrets from a Child Services African American Agent whom is pushing around with recurring visits.
The same agency from which the agent comes from is missing a collegue woman was assigned to the family following the children showing up to their school with bruises and the lot.
Smuggler's Den- Professional Thieves and Providers[]
In one particular harrowing scene of the film the teenage daughter and two young kids are told to come downstairs to where their parents are having a downstairs party with a group of friends.
The group of friends are all criminals whom are the reason for their great wealth and security are they are their own type of mafia.
All members those who have been abused by their parents.
The group engage in the rape and beating of the teenage daughter, beating of the 7 year old daughter and seven year old son.
They also wait until the teenage son comes home and and beat him. He strongly fights back and even gets one with hot water as a result he suffers the worst beating of the kids and is landed in hospital as well as suffering a savage raping by a blind man from the group whom was rendered blind by his abusive homosexual father.
Following this out of hand drunken incident the doctors suspect as to abuse and contact an agency setting in place the central story where the african american funnyman assigned whom has parents he ran out on investigate the family and eventually end up saving the children.
He also aids for the final acts of the movie getting all the Smuggler's Den individuals arrested and jailed.
The Dead Controversial Performance[]
Loretta Devine is seen through the whole first two parts of the film as a Child Services Agent whom has uncovered the abuse of the kids and the parents connection to the Seattle Crime Family Smuggler's Den.
She tries to save the kids and run away with them at the start but is murdered by the mother Evangeline.
Her shocking raw performance secured her an Acadmey Award despite the fact her character's actual timeline alive appearences are only two scenes and from there she is seen as hallucinations appearing to the kids and she is seen in flasbacks recounted by Eddie Murphy.
Cast[]
- Elizabeth Banks as Evangeline Lestbury
- Sean Penn as Roger Lestbury
- Tom Welling as Jacob Lestbury
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hannah Lestbury
- Dakota Fanning as Alice Lestbury
- William A. Johnson as Alex Lestbury