"Black babies belong to black mothers."
— Kadar Lewis
Losing Isaiah is a 1995 American drama film starring Jessica Lange and Halle Berry.
Isaiah, an African-American baby, is abandoned by his crack-addicted mother Khaila Richards. When Margaret Lewin, a white social worker spots Isaiah, she becomes attached to the child. He is immediately adopted by Margaret and her husband Charles. Several years later, a newly-clean Khaila discovers that Isaiah is alive and is being raised by the Lewins. Khaila decides to sue Margaret and Charles, and the three get involved in a nasty custody battle over who gets to raise Isaiah.
Tropes in this film:
- Adoption Conflict: The main conflict of the movie is Khaila fighting the Lewins for custody of Isaiah.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Hannah Lewin starts out as one. She outgrows it as the film progresses.
- Character Development: Khaila Richards. She starts out as a junkie "going to get high" and later pursues rehab, quitting crack cold turkey. Just this is enough to persuade the judge to rule in favor of her.
- Custody Battle: After learning Isaiah is alive, Khaila brings one against the Lewins over who gets to raise Isaiah; essentially Nature Versus Nurture
- Disappeared Dad: Khaila admits she has no idea who Isaiah's biological father was, since she'd been a prostitute who slept with men to get money for drugs.
- Fell Asleep Crying: Isaiah cries so hard while being taken away from the Lewins' house en route to Khaila's where he eventually wakes up and finds himself.
- Fish out of Water: Isaiah feels this way when he is yanked from the Lewins and placed with his biological mother Khaila who is a complete stranger to him. He totally shuts down and withdraws as a result.
- Florence Nightingale Effect: This is what makes Margaret want to take Isaiah home and eventually adopt him.
- Happily Adopted: Subverted with Isaiah and the Lewin family as Khaila tries to reverse it via legal action.
- I Want My Mommy!: Well, his adoptive one... Isaiah was running around the restaurant screaming it knocking over chairs while trying to evade Khaila, leaving all of the other restaurant patrons in a state of confusion.
- Junkie Parent: Khaila is this to Isaiah, even though she goes through rehab to quit crack cold turkey. As a result, Isaiah was born addicted to crack.
- Mama Bear: In the restroom scene at the courthouse, Khaila comes across as this accusing Margaret of trying to "take" Isaiah from her:Margaret Lewin: Any animal can give birth. That doesn't make it a mother.Khaila Richards: Oh, so you're calling me an animal? If you think you're going to just take my baby from me like some puppy from a pound, you got another thing coming, lady!
- Mighty Whitey: Khaila's lawyer accuses Margaret of invoking this, when she tells him that she is Isaiah's "only hope".
- Oblivious Adoption: Isaiah with the Lewins. He's still too young to realize they aren't his birth parents.
- Parental Abandonment: Khaila did this to Isaiah by dumping him in a trash can, just so she could get high. The Obstructive Bureaucrat lawyers never call her out on this.
- School Play: One scene stars Charles and Margaret Lewin's daughter Hannah in a school play. Charles brings Isaiah and a tantrum ensues for no apparent reason.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: As noted by Margaret in regards to Khaila's appearance during the courtroom scenes.
- Shout-Out:
- When Khaila's lawyer interrogates Margaret if any of the dolls Isaiah plays with are black, She responds "Yes, and some of them are green and some of them are orange..." He later asks "Who do you think he identifies with? The orange-faced muppet?"
- Said lawyer also asks Margaret if she ever read any books to Isaiah such as "Fathers and Sons" and "Uncle Jed's Barbershop", as they center around Afro-American characters and culture.
- Slut-Shaming: Implied when the Lewins' lawyer notes that Khaila, as she'd been a prostitute to buy drugs, had slept with many men and thus has no idea who her son's birth father was.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Never once did Khaila thank Margaret for saving Isaiah's life and raising him up until this point.
