“Down-to-earth…ground-level views of struggling, everyday…people.” — Stephen Holden, The New York Times
Tough Love premieres Monday, July 6, 2015, at 10 PM on PBS stations.
Tough Love chronicles the separate journeys of Patrick Brown, a single, white father in Seattle, and Hasna “Hannah” Siddique, a newly married Bangladeshi-born mother of two in New York City, as they fight to make their families whole again after their children were taken from them due to neglect. Through intimate, vérité footage, we witness firsthand the complex bureaucracy of America’s child welfare system and the powerful role that poverty and other challenges play in keeping parents and children apart.
“I hope Tough Love gives audiences a glimpse of the lives inside the child welfare system, the lives of the families and workers who spend countless days navigating this complex bureaucracy,” said filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal in a filmmaker statement. “Because at the end of the day, it is a system made of people. People who are faced with complex issues like housing, welfare, domestic violence and substance abuse. People who have to overcome unimaginable obstacles to have families again. Too often, adoption is seen as the only option for children in foster care. Through Hannah, Philly and Patrick’s stories, I hope to show that these children have parents who love them and are willing to do whatever it takes to get them home.”
Visit the POV companion site for Tough Love to watch the full film online for free for a limited time following the broadcast (starting July 7, 2015), find out what’s happened since the cameras stopped rolling, and download a discussion guide and other viewing resources. Share your thoughts and ask questions by using the hashtag #ToughLove.
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