Deep in My Heart (1999 film)

For other uses, see Deep in My Heart (disambiguation).

Deep in My Heart is a 1999 television film based on a true story, starring Anne Bancroft and Lynn Whitfield and directed by Anita W. Addison. Bancroft received a primetime Emmy for her role.

In the early 1960s, Geraldine Cummins was walking home alone from the movies when she was jumped and raped by a black man. Stunned she returned home to her husband Bob, stating she had been raped. Sometime later, she finds she is pregnant. In the beginning she hates her baby, not wanting a constant reminder of her rapist, but keeps it for a few reasons: she is Catholic and she harbours a small hope that it could be her husbands baby. Her husband is supportive during the pregnancy and after the birth. As the months pass, Gerry comes to be attached to the baby, later stating "8 months is too long to close your heart to a piece of yourself." She becomes fearful of what will happen if her baby is black, the social isolation it would receive and what people would think of her. After going into labour and confiding in a doctor her situation, she becomes convinced that it would be best if she gave her up. She names her newborn daughter Barbra Anne Cummins and gives her to foster mother Corrine Burrel, a black woman in a black neighbourhood. Gerry is heartbroken to give up her daughter.

7 years later, Barbra is a happy little girl, but wonders about her birth parents. Corrine assures her that she is her mother, though not her birth mother. A few months later, a social worker comes into their home and informs Corrine that Barbra will be adopted by white people living in Wisconsin. Corrine seeks legal action, looking to adopt Barbra for herself, but as she is divorced with no job and many children, she is turned down. Barbra is taken kicking from Corrine and the family she has come to know with her. Later, Corrine reports that the social worker sent her a letter saying that Barbra was happy, but Corrine knew that they emotionally "killed" Barbra when they took her.

Annalise's husband Paul is not very happy to be adopting a coloured seven and-a-half year old, but Annalise is thrilled. After a while, Annalise becomes worried about Barbra's very detached nature and suggests to Paul they move to a suburb neighbourhood where Barbra could be around other black kids. Paul is angry that they have to change everything for a child he didn't want but agrees, only to leave them after moving. Annalise opts to go to work in the day and to school to support them at night. Barbra has once again receded into herself after the neighbourhood children make fun of her for being black with a white mother, calling her Oreo and nigger. Over the years until she is 16, she is alone without her mother or friends. At 16 she meets Don, a football playing choir boy. She falls in love with him and ultimatly gets pregnant. Annalise comes home one day to learn that Barbra has a boyfriend and has been in the house alone with her when she wasn't there. After a mild argument, Barbra leaves. Barbra doesn't come home that night and Annalise calls the school and is told her daughter is 4 months pregnant but refused to tell her. Barbra then moves in with Don and his family.

Years later, in the middle of her third pregnancy, the doctor suggests she look into her birth family history for medical reasons, this leads her in search for her mother.She visits Corrine and she soon finds the truth and becomes emotionally conflicted; whether to believe her father's a rapist or her mother's a liar. Geraldine's husband Bob dies after their children are grown and now lives alone. Barbra now has 5 children and has been married to Don for 17 years but still displays sadness over her family history. After a night of contemplation, she decides to seek her birth mother out. She finds her though marriage records and contacts Geraldine's twin brother, Gerald. She reveals that she is looking for her mother and leaves her name and number for him to relay to Geraldine. However, he goes on vacation and doesn't get to tell Gerry for a week. She tells her brother that the woman who called is her daughter. He is visibly disappointed that she could just give up her own child like that (she had told her family that Barbra had died as a newborn) but she explains she was raped by a black man. He warns her that everyone will know she was raped by admitting Barb is her daughter but Gerry says she doesn't care. Gerald gives her his blessing. Gerry calls Barbra and tearfully/happily admits to be her mother.

Renewed by the happiness of knowing she was wanted by both her birth mother and foster mother, Barbra reconciles with Annalise. Anxiously, Gerry and her 3 grown children wait at the airport for Barbra's arrival. Then finally, after 34 years, mother and daughter meet. After a nice dinner with her new found family, Gerry and Barbra have a bit of a tense conversation about Barbra's paternity. Barbra reveals she hates her father, but Gerry replys that she forgave him the minute she saw Barbra. She also says that the day she gave her up was the worst day of her life. Barbra is angry as to why Gerry gave her up if she loves her, asking if it would have made a difference if she had been born white. Gerry shamefully replys that she probably would have, because she was afraid everytime she looked at her she'd see her rapist. But now, she only sees her daughter. Gerry says she only wanted the best for Barbra, to be with people who could teach her courage, which she could not because Gerry felt ashamed for being raped and having a black daughter though she loved her. Gerry apologizes to Barbra and the two reconcile as mother and daughter. Later, at a family reunion, Corrine, Gerry and Annalise meet again for the first time. The film ends with a picture of the entire side of Barbra's family, her mothers, her uncles, her brothers and sisters, her children, and her nieces and nephews, black and white together, and Barbra no longer feels like one person alone without a family.

Cast

• Anne Bancroft ... Geraldine 'Gerry' Eileen Cummins (Barbra's birth mother)
• Lynn Whitfield ... Corrine Burrell (Barbra's foster mother)
• Alice Krige ... Annalise Jurgenson (Barbra's adopted mother)
• Cara Buono ... Young Gerry Cummins
• Gloria Reuben ... Barbara Ann Williams
• Jesse L. Martin ... Don Williams (barbra's husband)
• Kevin O'Rourke ... Robert 'Bob' Cummins
• Peter MacNeill
• Albert Schultz ... Paul Jurgenson
• Jayne Eastwood ... Mrs. Marsdon
• Keenan Macwilliam ... Young Barbara Ann
• Philip Akin ... Ob-gyn doctor
• Brooke Belvedere ... 3-year-old Carol
• Kiel Campbell ... 10-year-old Robert
• Michael Capellupo ... Ted Cummins
• Mpho Koaho ... Roger

External links

• Deep in My Heart (1999 film) at the Internet Movie Database