Stevie -

Viewer of this film wrote:

I enjoyed watching this film. I had a great deal of sympathy for Stephen Dale Fielding, life is never easy, even for those who have a pretty normal life, but when you have as many obstacles as this young man has it would just seem umbarrable. I just hope everything turns out ok for him and tonya. They seem to be really in love.
P.S.
If anyone has any updates as to whether Stevie is still in prison or he has gotten out. Please post the information thank.

How simple your mind must be if after watching a documentary you actually feel sorry for a child molester. I feel that people such as yourself should be quarantined and sterylized to prevent future broods of dim, slack jawed, mouth-breathers from overtaking the diminishing intelligent populace of this planet.

Just re-watched the film after a few years and was left feeling it was exploitive.

No condolences or sympathy. Right or wrong.

What I saw were generations of damaged (maybe mentally) people who were taken advantage of by some guy who calls himself a film maker.

Grandma. Mom. Stephen. Sister. A lot went wrong over a long period. Mentally and physically.

If you've ever seen the film 'The Killing Fields'---and know the true story behind it--reporter exploits victim and then abandons said victim--thus feels very similar.

If Stephen did what he was purported to have done he deserves to rot in hell.

But so does @SteveJames for cashing in on it.

where is steve james now?

I remember meeting Stevie around town a few times when I was younger. He was a troubled young man to say the least. I always wondered, what if anything he got from the proceeds of the documentry made about him other than the boom box Steve James buys him in the movie.Kind of sad to see the way he was exploited by Steve James.

Steve James wrote:

He got transferred to Statesville prison so he is not out yet. I plan on filming the entire process of his recovery for the sequel. Grandma passed away last year, but won't be missed. Stay tuned for more when he is released.

Hey Steve just wondering what the update is now on Stevie.

stevie...... wonder where you lay your head.
wonder how you pray in bed
shakespeare dreams ..old man knees
the lenses cracked ;so you can`t see
but the light of day, helps you survive
made a deal,,somehow . your alive
broken smile,,worn out style
let them see the river boy fish/
catch a monster,;show them whose king//.

don`t waste your days..with angered kin;.;
we know your one.,.,but don`t let them win';
there is a heart inside,,that emptiness subsides.'.'
but it aint about to stop..,shattered brains that rot/.
make up the men we are..,your mind has left the scar
may the show be grand,,let road rise up
make it kind and always free
stevie....wonder where you lay your head tonight?

I never thought I would have sympathy for a child molester being a victim myself but by the end of it I cried..People do not have compassion anymore, Stevie never knew love as a child and the he fell through the cracks the system failed him. The system fails many. What he did is very wrong! He needed help as a child and needs help now. Any abuse you recieve when you are a child never leaves you. Im very sad for the lil girl and Im also sad for Stevie!

Great film. I read that after he got out of jail in Illinois that he was sentenced to 11 months in Tennessee for violation probation. Wonder if he's out and of he got any help. Very dysfunctional family

I work in the field of SAY and can tell you this is just one of thousands of similar situations I have seen. I am often more angry with the parent who allowed the abuse and wish we could pass laws that hold them accountable. In the case of Steve Felding I do not feel sorry for him. He strikes me as a person who fully understands his behavior and uses any excuse he can to justify hurting others.

The film exploits the subject. I think to redeem himself the film maker should consider helping out the victim of sexual abuse.

Although I feel sorry for anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse as a child, the facts are that he committed a horrible crime on an 8yr old helpless child. Someone like him whos value system has been so corrupted and can't even admit that what he did was wrong will never change. He'll always be a predator as long as he doesn't admit he has a problem and be willing to get counseling. Even with help from a good therapist he'll still need to monitored as much as possible and NEVER be allowed children again. John Buyser, CinnaminsonNJ

I feel bad for the girl too obviously, fucked up film, that's all there is to it. This is a case of bad parenting or lack thereof, and bad blood line period. If you think about it and those foster parents would have stayed then this wouldn't even have happened, they can take some of the blame too, dont be foster parents and then decide you have to take a job and abandon the child again, everything that happened to him including that and everything before, in between, and after all had to do with the reason he is the way he is, he had nobody but himself, he raised himself and the things he did pick up on were all fucked. Life's the bitch. I wish I could do something about it honestly, the whole situation is really sad and sickening.

This was a very sad documentary i just feel so bad for the man. And I am african american and i still felt really bad for him knowing how he feels about my people. I read on wikipedia that he is now homeless. I dont understand this did this movie not make money. I have to find out something because i would hate to think that his "big brother" steve used his downfall as a comeup. Because the film did win alot of awards.

My husband and I watched this movie lst night on a wim. We thought we would put it on for a few min. If we liked it we would continue watching..Well we watched it all. I kept feeling that Stevie would hurt someone or even himself to not go to jail..I felt so sad for his victim, himself, his girlfriend and even Gramma. She didnt have to take him but she did. Would also love an update on how he is doing. Loved the girl friend of Tonyas they visited and a good idea to do a film about her or Tonja..

Just watched the film and it was great. So very sad that this is just one case in thousands. There are so many people in jail with different degrees of mental illness and they don't receive the counseling necessary to get on with life. I hope something good can happen for Steve. It wasn't his fault he was born into that shitty life.

I watched this a long time ago. Just watched "Stevie" this past week. Here is current info for Stephen. A sad end to his story, I hope Stevie can turn his life around.

Steve James, have you been in contact with Stevie? Any updates on another documentary? Any news from the remainder of his family and/or any reach out for help?

http://www.tbi.state.tn.us/sorint/sor_Details...

I saw the doc in 2002 at a film festival and still think about it sometimes. The dirty secret of adoption and foster care is the outcomes of the children once they reach adulthood.

Prisons often keep records of prisoners background such as foster care or adoption. Studies of prisons have shown many have a majority of foster care inmates. I guess you can think of prisons as adult orphanages for foster care kids.

just watched the film.very powerful.i never thought i could have any compassion for a child molester but i did.that said,the denial and lack of remorse leads me to believe that this individual is a hopeless write-off that would perpetuate this despicable crime again given the mere whiff of an opportunity.i realize his (by western standards)horrible childhood predisposed his behavior,and i do feel for him,but sometimes you have to wash your hands of people that you KNOW will never change.Yes,he has been abandoned(yes that inludes Steve and the foster parents,for whatever reason) by everybody he loved and looked up to in his life,but in my opinion ,the damage is done,and unfortunately irrevocable.

Mutt wrote:

1 to 10 rating... 4....Somebody made some money exploiting a child rapist selling the film to HBO..

Just finished watching documentary & doing some Internet reading. This was the first post I had read that I felt reflected similarly to myself. It was painful watching how a small, vulnerable child was let down, abandoned & abused repeatedly throughout his life. It's no wonder things turned out the way they did. Stevie is one of countless children who have been failed by those who are to there to protect them. Watching this documentary made me feel disappointed that Steve James, following a guilty instinct, decided to follow up on a child he too left behind. Self serving. Understandably, his responsibilities as a big brother, were not parental but still impacting. I wonder if Steve James would have continued filming if the story was a happy one? Sadness, failure, abuse, & neglect r compelling and makes fodder for docus or any movie for that matter. I couldn't help feeling that this movie, overall, did f* all for Stevie, the victim, the family, the community & I think Steve James knew that. When Tonya said "well, at least something good came from all of this" meaning the film, I thought "what a joke, poor girl she has no idea" Steve James is a great filmmaker, let's not fool ourselves. He took an excellent opportunity & made a movie. It helped no one but himself. Exploitive. For all we know, life may be more difficult for all individuals in the film. I read people want to track every move of predator, ex girlfriend etc. I challenge Steve James to tell us what else, other than exploitation, came from this film. Please don't give me "freedom of speech & information for all, artistic integrity" BS because before your film, this world was all too familiar with abuse in children & how it impacts those in adulthood. So, why was Stevie made other than for self serving reasons?

Does anyone know exactly what happened to him? Is he out on parole or is he still in prison? Also, what happened with Tanya? Did she see anyone else?

Tanya has turned her life around, she has become a champion kick boxer in the Special Olympics and then was elected lieutenant governor of Illinois ---- Stevie is a changed man; in prison, he is studying to become a Catholic Priest; and with his past experience he may, someday, become the Cardinal of East St. Louis.