I Am Somebody’s Child: The Regina Louise Story

I Am Somebody’s Child: The Regina Louise Story recounts the childhood of Regina Louise, who survived over 30 foster homes and psychiatric facilities before she was released with no money and nowhere to go at age 18. That’s her up above (played by Angela Fairley as a young woman) on her last day in a psychiatric facility. There are spoilers ahead.

Regina was abandoned by everyone in her life. She turned herself into the police at age 13 because she needed help. She was angry, unkempt, and had behavior issues. The police took her to a shelter, where the counselor Jeanne Kerr (Ginnifer Goodwin) was the first and only person to see the good in her.

Each time Regina was sent to a foster home, something went wrong. She would strike out in anger, or displease her foster parents, or in one case an older boy tried to rape her. Each time she returned to the shelter, Jeanne Kerr helped her and encouraged her. She even loved her.

Eventually Jeanne decided to adopt Regina herself. The shelter director, a Black woman like Regina, didn’t think a Black child belonged with a white woman. Nor did the judge. Regina regarded Miss Kerr as her mother, despite what anyone said.

Regina ended up in psychiatric care where she was drugged and mistreated. She tried to commit suicide by hoarding her pills. Her mail to Jeanne Kerr was never sent, nor was she given the letters that arrived from Jeanne until her very last day there.

Regina found a job, set a goal to go to college, and looked everywhere for Jeanne Kerr. The last act of the film featured Sherri Saum as the adult Regina. She made it through college, owned a business, and wrote a book about her horrific childhood where she talked about Jeanne Kerr.

The book found its way to Jeanne, and she learned where Regina was. Twenty-three years after they first wanted to be mother and daughter, they went to court and Jeanne legally adopted Regina.

This was a moving story about the many failures and cruelties of foster care and psychiatric care. There was so much unfairness to overcome, especially when there was someone there who was ready to love and care for Regina. The film is based on the book the real Regina Louise wrote called Somebody’s Someone.

Janice Cooke directed I Am Somebody’s Child: The Regina Louise Story. It’s a Lifetime movie, but I found it streaming on Prime Video.