The Poker House
| The Poker House | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Lori Petty |
| Produced by |
Stephen J. Cannell Michael Dubelko |
| Screenplay by | Lori Petty David Alan Grier |
| Story by | Lori Petty |
| Starring |
Jennifer Lawrence Selma Blair Chloë Grace Moretz Bokeem Woodbine David Alan Grier Sophi Bairley |
| Music by | Mike Post |
| Cinematography | Ken Seng |
| Edited by | Tirsa Hackshaw |
| Distributed by | Phase 43 Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Poker House, subsequently retitled as Behind Closed Doors, is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Lori Petty, in her directorial debut. The film depicts a painful day in the life of a teenaged girl who is raising her two younger sisters in their mother's whorehouse. The story is based on Petty's own early life during the mid-1970s.
The film focuses on one single day in the life of three abused and neglected sisters, Agnes (age 14) (Jennifer Lawrence), Bee (age 12) (Sophi Bairley), and Cammie (age 8) (Chloë Grace Moretz). Their mother, Sarah (Selma Blair), a woman who has turned to prostitution to support the girls, is forced into alcohol and drug abuse by her pimp, Duval (Bokeem Woodbine). Because of this, Sarah is unable to care for the girls, forcing Agnes into a position of being a mother to her two younger sisters. The three girls live in the mother's whorehouse, the Poker House, where neighborhood pimps and criminals gather to play poker, as well. Agnes believes Duval loves her, as a boyfriend would, despite his abuse towards her mother.
The movie starts when Agnes arrives home, very early in the morning. She begins tidying the house and wakes Bee, after preparing her paper route for her. The conversation between the two reveals another sister, Cammie, and that Cammie often stays the night at her friend Sheila's house. The movie reveals that the girls and their mother once had a real family. Their father, a preacher, used to beat Sarah and the girls. The four fled, and Sarah, struggling to make ends meet, became a prostitute.
The day shifts from girl to girl. Little interaction occurs among the three. Bee speaks of moving into a foster home, hoping to be adopted. Cammie spends the day at a bar, making friends with Dolly (Natalie West), the bar owner, and Stymie (David Alan Grier), an alcoholic. Agnes rides through town, talking with a few friends, playing a game of basketball, and picking up a couple of paychecks from her part-time jobs.
Towards the end of the day, Agnes climbs through Bee's window, avoiding the living room, which is full of gamblers, pimps, and drunks. Bee has locked herself in her room, and like Agnes, avoids the downstairs chaos. Agnes makes Bee leave the house, telling her not to come back for a while. She then makes her way into the living room, and a stranger begins to talk to her. He asks her why she is there, and she responds by telling him that this is where she lives and that Sarah is her mother. When the man finds out that Agnes is a star basketball player for her high school team, with an important game that night, the man gives her a sympathetic look and tells her to get out of the house and go to the game, but she ignores him.
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