"Free of Eden" is one of several made for TV movies Sidney Poitier made just before he retired from acting. This one must have been very special to him, as his co-star in the film is his daughter, Sydney Tamiia Poitier!
Nicole (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) is a teen who's dropped out of school and is living in Eden, a project in Brooklyn. Crime and poverty is all around her...and she just witnessed the senseless murder of two people at work! Now, without a job and filled with dissatisfaction with her lot in life, she approaches an icon in the black community, Will Cleamons (Sidney Poitier). She wants him to help teach her...but what and what is the ultimate goal, she has no idea. At first, he isn't interested. After all, he was a teacher but gave it up long ago. But she is persistent and eventually he agrees to tutor her...with the aim at bettering her and making her more aware of the world.
In some ways, this movie reminds me of the Sean Connery film, "Finding Forrester". It, too, is about a young black person going no where with their lives...and a mentor who helps guide them towards something better.
So did I enjoy "Free of Eden"? Yes. While I thought it perhaps had too many subplots which took away from the interaction between the two leads, the acting was sensational and the story compelling. In other words, it ain't perfect...but it's still very good.
