简介：《父母心》是獨立電影人約翰．卡薩維蒂於六十年代遇上荷里活製片之產物。故事講及精神科醫生畢蘭加士打聘請了來自音樂學院的朱迪．格蘭，於兒童精神病院利用嶄新手法教導外界認為無可救助的精神病兒童吉娜．羅蘭茲。片中兒童皆來自加州其中一間兒童精神中心，將這班被遺忘的一群真實地呈現在觀眾面前。
都市人面對種種生活壓力，大量社會問題備受關注。當面對社會的陰暗面時，主流社會最初會以迴避的態度面對，而經過大量之社會運動、媒體報導等以令社會更多元、開放，以積極的態度去面對。這種社會心態轉變可能用上半個世紀，甚至更長時間。其中兒童問題從來都是一個敏感議題，而卡薩維蒂早在六十年代已利用光影之間揭示社會鮮為人知的一面，廣泛引起主流社會討論。
卡薩維蒂是一位極具才華的獨立電影導演，游走於荷里活製作和獨立電影之間，利用偏鋒路線打破固有荷里活電影記事模式，注重強烈的演員性格去反映現實社會。本片被評為卡氏最為大膽作品之一，其寫實性令人嘆為觀止，創新起用精神病兒童在作品中表演。深刻地勾勒出這批非主流兒童的困境，打破大眾對他們的形象。而憑藉這齣先驅作品，我們更可以反思現時香港社會在這方面的缺失。
As a result of co-operation between Cassavetes and Hollywood's producers, A Child is Waiting was shown in the 1960s. Burt Lancaster, a psychiatrist, hires Judy Garland to work at a psychiatric facility for children. Garland uses an innovative method to teach a mentally retarded child, Gena Rowland, who the world has turned its back on. Patients in the film were from a real life psychiatric institution, where this group of forsaken children was being honestly presented to the audience.
City life is filled with all sorts of stress and problems. When facing the dark side of society, the mainstream community usually takes refuge in escapism. It is only after waves of social movements and media coverage that the people's attitudes about these problems would change and that they would take affirmative action about it. This process might take half century or longer. Children issue has always been a sensitive subject, yet Cassavetes has already chosen to show its untold stories in his film in the early sixties to arouse public discussion.
Cassavetes was a talented independent filmmaker who also engaged in Hollywood productions. His works emphasized on his actors, and through their characters, instead of traditional storytelling techniques, explored the realities of society. This film was hailed as the most daring piece of Cassavetes' works. Its realism was praised, especially of his inclusion of real life patients. The patients' difficulties were profoundly illustrated so as to eradicate the public's prejudice against them. From this avant-garde work, we can even reconsider the situation of these issues in Hong Kong.
source: Hong Kong Arts Centre
