... because there is no silver lining, no sappy happy ending in this tale of poverty, love, and bureaucracy. Claudine lives in Harlem and has six children ranging in age from about 17 to about 4. She works as a maid, but has to keep it a secret or else she risks losing welfare for herself and AFDC (Aid for Dependent Children) for her kids. The paltry sums distributed by both make this lying lifestyle necessary. Rupert is a garbage man who picks up the trash where Claudine works. These two find each other in mid life (he is 40 she is 36) and it turns romantic quickly.
Now most men would run not walk when confronted with Claudine's six rambunctious and rather hostile children, but Rupert doesn't. Talk eventually drifts towards marriage, but the paperwork involved with the welfare people would basically strip Rupert of his manhood. He is told that if he were to lose his job he would be required to apply for welfare because, somehow, otherwise, he would be defrauding AFDC. On top of that, Rupert gets a notice his meager paycheck is being heavily garnished because of "willful neglect" of nonpayment of child support for his own children.
He tells Claudine that if they married she would eventually come to resent him for his lack of ability to monetarily contribute, she denies it, but I wonder. Time has a way of making bad circumstances stick out. Add to this that Claudine's two oldest children are into adolescence, and that has its own troubles separate from mom having a boyfriend.
This was featured on Turner Classic Movies' "The Essentials" tonight, and I really enjoyed it. I had never seen it before, but I imagine it was a realistic portrayal of what African Americans had to go through in that era. I'm older myself, and it is tough when the right one comes along after just living life has saddled you with so much baggage that it makes it tough to start over.
This film has two big things going for it - the acting, which is top notch, and the reality of the situation in contrast to some of the silly blaxploitation films of the era. Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, later of "Welcome Back Kotter", plays the oldest son who thinks that revolution is the solution. Tamu Blackwell is Charlene, Claudine's oldest daughter, who mom worries about making some of the same mistakes she did. Mom would not be wrong. Elisa Loti is the patronizing welfare case worker.
Now most men would run not walk when confronted with Claudine's six rambunctious and rather hostile children, but Rupert doesn't. Talk eventually drifts towards marriage, but the paperwork involved with the welfare people would basically strip Rupert of his manhood. He is told that if he were to lose his job he would be required to apply for welfare because, somehow, otherwise, he would be defrauding AFDC. On top of that, Rupert gets a notice his meager paycheck is being heavily garnished because of "willful neglect" of nonpayment of child support for his own children.
He tells Claudine that if they married she would eventually come to resent him for his lack of ability to monetarily contribute, she denies it, but I wonder. Time has a way of making bad circumstances stick out. Add to this that Claudine's two oldest children are into adolescence, and that has its own troubles separate from mom having a boyfriend.
This was featured on Turner Classic Movies' "The Essentials" tonight, and I really enjoyed it. I had never seen it before, but I imagine it was a realistic portrayal of what African Americans had to go through in that era. I'm older myself, and it is tough when the right one comes along after just living life has saddled you with so much baggage that it makes it tough to start over.
This film has two big things going for it - the acting, which is top notch, and the reality of the situation in contrast to some of the silly blaxploitation films of the era. Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, later of "Welcome Back Kotter", plays the oldest son who thinks that revolution is the solution. Tamu Blackwell is Charlene, Claudine's oldest daughter, who mom worries about making some of the same mistakes she did. Mom would not be wrong. Elisa Loti is the patronizing welfare case worker.