Naman Shrestha
Lifetime’s ‘Give Me Back My Daughter’ is a drama film that follows the struggle of a single mother named Renee, who gets held a heavy hand after she loses her job due to downsizing and is forced to move out as she can’t afford the rent. As a result, she has no option but to live in her car with her young daughter, Imani. Despite the unfavorable circumstances, Renee refrains from taking any assistance and strives to figure out a way out all alone. However, everything changes when Imani is spotted alone in the car while Renee is out for an interview. The latter is arrested, and Child Protective Services — who find the situation unsafe for Imani — take her away.
Renee is distraught upon learning that her daughter has been temporarily placed in foster care, and the fear that she could lose her permanently looms over her head. Therefore, Renee pulls up her socks and does whatever it takes to wrap her little one in a warm embrace again without a care. The Kelley Kali directorial is a heartwarming ride accentuated by ups and downs carefully led by a power-packed performance by Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe that offers a glimpse into the lengths a parent can go to for the well-being of their child.
Give Me Back My Daughter Draws Inspiration From Real Life Incidents
Penned by the talented Xavier Burgin, ‘Give Me Back My Daughter’ is a powerful tale of resilience as a mother moves heaven and earth to get her daughter out of the foster care system by going against Child Protective Services (CPS). Despite being in the realm of fiction, the film inevitably draws a few parallels with several real-life cases where mothers are separated from their children by the CPS for different reasons. One such case is that of Lorie Blalock and her daughter, Kathryn, who was born with Pierre Robin syndrome that caused her to have a cleft palate. In September 2014, Child Protective Services took the 4-month-old child away as they believed that the parents showed signs of neglect when it came to providing necessary medical care for their daughter.
The “medical kidnapping” took place while Kathryn was admitted to University Medical Center, where she was being treated for her condition and the bouts of seizures associated with it. When the parents reportedly failed to give her the prescribed dosage of medicine for her seizures, CPS was concerned about the welfare of the child. The mother, Lorie, claimed that they took her daughter away without just cause. She told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, “They want me to take responsibility for them removing her. I’m not going to admit to something I didn’t do wrong. I just want to get her home.” In another case, Joslyn Sanders reportedly went against the medical advice of the hospital staff at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, where she took her son, Josiah, for a rash that caused his foot to swell up.
Upon learning about it, CPS became concerned and took Josiah’s custody from the Sanders residence on December 21, 2023. From the first day itself, the mother began fighting for her son’s custody as CPS took him without a court order. She even went to court in an attempt to get Josiah back into her loving arms. Fast forward to several months later, she was denied custody in September 2024. She stated in a news conference, “It’s been over 250 days. I miss him more and more every single day. I’m just keeping my faith in God and most importantly, staying strong for my son because I know he needs me and I need him.” Even though these two cases highlight a few aspects that ‘Give Me Back My Daughter’ mirror reality, it doesn’t change the fact that the story is the writer’s fragment of imagination.
Gabourey Sidibe Added Her Personal Touch to the Character of Renee
The nature of the mother-daughter relationship portrayed through the characters of Renee and Imani might have roots in reality, but there is no evidence that the characters themselves were inspired by any particular off-screen counterparts. There are certain realistic traits that Xavier Burgin has seemingly engrained in both the characters. For instance, the resilience of a mother is encapsulated through the character of Renee, who does everything in her power to get her daughter back. As she fights for her daughter in court, she realizes it does take a village to traverse through life and that it is okay to lean on your loved ones — family, friends, and even strangers — for support.
She promises to get back up and prove to the court that she is enough to provide Imani with a safe and stable environment. In an interview with NBC New York, Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe revealed that she was able to personally connect with her character through the perspective of a mother as she had recently become a mother. By introducing her experience as one, she brought more depth and authenticity to an otherwise fictional character. During the conversation, she also opened up about her own history and struggles with the foster care system and Child Protection Services.
She elaborated, “When I was a kid, my parents lost custody of my brother and I for a few weeks, and you know, I always think about their fight, and I thought that taking on this role would be one way to connect mother to mother, now that I am a mother to this mother and also honor my own parents’ fight to get me back.” Despite the added personal touch of Sidibe to Renee’s character, she and the character of Imani remain confined to the film’s narrative.
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