Misunderstood is a 1983 American drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg, based on the 1869 novel Misunderstood by Florence Montgomery. This film stars Henry Thomas as a young boy who struggles with family, friends, and relationships after his mother's death.
The novel Misunderstood had previously been adapted by Luigi Comencini as the 1966 Italian film Incompreso which starred Anthony Quayle.
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Plot
Ned Rawley is an American shipowner established in Tunisia where his business thrives and monopolizes him. He lives in a beautiful villa with his two sons, Miles and Andrew, who are cared for by a newly arrived housekeeper because their mother has just died in a hospital abroad. The father decides to hide this tragedy from the youngest, inventing an extended trip for his mother.
For the older one, he continues to treat him as a "man", revealing to him the disappearance of his mother but remaining cold with him, being afraid to express his feelings. He does not realize that his son lacks affection and suffers from the absences and the harshness of education imposed on him by his father who transfers all his attentions to the youngest.