In his directorial debut, Denzel Washington not only creates a tasteful work of art, his years of dedication to acting shine nobly in the true-life drama Antwone Fisher. Up and coming costar Derek Luke plays Antwone Fisher, a young naval seaman, with an explosive temper. His volatile attitude lands him in jeopardy of being thrown out of the navy and in the hands of Jerome Davenport, (Washington) the naval psychiatrist. It's up to Dr. Davenport to give Antwone an evaluation, determining if he's mentally stable enough to stay in the navy. Antwone's reluctance to talk intrigues Davenport to explore deeper into Antwone's past, using clever methods to finally break through Antwone's tough exterior. .
All summed up in a short verse of one of his poems, "lost and all alone, abandoned without his own" Antwone Fisher lived a life that no child should endure.
Antwone's life began on a rocky path of abuse and abandonment. His father was killed by one of his girlfriends before he was born, so he never even knew his father's last name. His mother left him to foster care after she gave birth to him in a prison hospital where she was serving time. He lived in an orphanage until the age of two when he was sent to the Tate's foster home. The Tate's portrayed them selves as Bible thumping preachers, but underneath that they were physically and mentally abusive on extreme levels. They abused him and his two other foster brothers for years, just to get money from the state for fostering them. What's even worse they put him in the situation of being sexually molested at the age of 5, by Cousin Nadine who also lived at the Tate's house. .
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After 12 years of abuse, Antwone headed to the streets where he didn't have to be beaten anymore. He finally felt free. A few years later in an attempt to get off the streets, he returned to his old neighborhood to meet up with childhood playmate Jessie. Jessie was happy to see Antwone and invited him to stay at his house.