Product Description

Treasure Lee has moved out of 'juvenile' into the state penitentiary, and met up with Brownie, a jail-toughened lifer dealing drugs and contraband. Brownie works with an extended family of loyal girls, ready to kill or be killed for their 'mother.' There's something about Brownie that draws Treasure closer, but the closer she gets, the more her life is on the line.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19346 in DVD
• Brand: ROSS,YOLANDA
• Released on: 2002-07-16
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 97 minutes

Features

• Treasure Lee has moved out of 'juvenile' into the state penitentiary, and met up with Brownie, a jail-toughened lifer dealing drugs and contraband. Brownie works with an Treasure Lee has moved out of 'juvenile' into the State Pen. Now she needs to learn how the system works, search out where the power lies, and find herself a new lover. Treasure soon meets up with Brownie, a jail-toughened lifer d

Amazon.com
A striking story of a young woman seeking her mother in the depths of the prison system. Treasure Lee (Yolanda Ross) is a tough juvenile offender who has never known her mother. When she learns that her mother, known as Brownie (Davenia McFadden), is in a nearby prison for life, Treasure attacks a fellow inmate to get transferred there. Once she arrives, she and her mother soon bond, and Brownie puts Treasure to work dealing drugs as part of her team. As Treasure gets in deeper, she discovers that her mother isn't everything she pretends to be. This potent HBO movie, directed by Cheryl Dunye (The Watermelon Woman), is tightly written and edited, and features remarkable performances from a cast of unknowns, including Rain Phoenix. Explicit sex and violence makes for a gritty portrait of prison life more real than HBO's acclaimed series Oz. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Gritty, Realistic, Sometimes Hard to Watch
What makes this movie a standout is that it all seems real. This is no backlot prison stage with sqeaky clean actors trying to play real grit. This is truly a down and dirty portrayal of women's prison life. But despite the often disturbing depiction of this (the unabashed violence; and one scene with a prison guard and a speculum), that's not really what this movie is about. It delves deeper into one young woman's dream/fantasy of recapturing the archetypal missing mother and chronicles her transformation from a girl who knows what she wants (to find her mother, Brownie, who is locked up in the federal pen) to a young woman whose self-discovery becomes her ultimate grief.

The movie is filled with outstanding performances (Rain Phoenix, for one is phenomenal), good pacing and production,and good storytelling. It falls short because I believe it does perpetuate some stereotypes many may have about women's prisons and at times, doesn't seem to be able to move beyond these familiar, formulaic images. I would have liked to have seen something I haven't seen in prison movies before.

The DVD has chapter selection capability and is presented in widescreen format. However, if you are looking for special features, this is about it. I would have liked to have seen a "behind the camera" featurette or a director's commentary on this disc. Cheryl Dunye is a talented, talented director and not to have heard directly from her about this movie is a shortcoming.

I recommend this movie very highly. It's not one you'll want to watch over and over so before you buy, consider renting it first. This movie is like a fine meal, it's good the first time around but you wouldn't want to eat this way every night.

Very Intense Film
I really enjoyed this film... The relationship that Treasure had with her mother was unfortunately, not far from reality in some cases. I thought the activities/events of prison life was really bold of HBO and I was impressed with their dedication to keep things in line with reality. I think the acting in the film, especially by Treasure, was very well presented. The characters were believable and realistic. Great job on this one...

great movie with a shocking ending
THIS MOVIE IS THE TALE OF TREASURE LEE. SHES ON A QUEST TO REUNITE WITH HER MOTHER AND SHE WLL DO JUST ABOUT ANYTIME TO FIND HER AND REUNITE. THE MOVIE IS GREAT. YOU WILL FEEL HER PAIN AND STRUGGLE. THE ENDING IS A SHOCKER, YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMING. GREAT MOVIE BUY IT OR RENT IT.