In the Gloaming

I watched this movie not too long ago, simply because I am a big fan of Glenn Close. However, I was throughly surprised at the depth of sadness portrayed in the film, and the closeness between Janet and her son Danny. I was touched when Janet sung "Oh Danny Boy", I thought it was a very good addition to the film. This movie brings up very important topics: death, and love for your family no matter what. I would definately recommend a person to watch this.

This is a film appropriately named. Many of the exterior shots take place in the gloaming, that lovely space between sunset and the stars coming out. The colours are extraordinary - New England has never looked more lovely drenched in the colours of the seasons in which the film takes place, with a gorgeous windowed house overlooking it all.

This is a story about a family and the shifting of its dynamics when the son comes home to die of AIDS. Whoopi Goldberg (a very small part) is employed as a nurse and the mother (Glenn Close)attempts an exploration of getting to know her son. This is basically the plot.

David Strathearn in a role made for him, plays the father, a man unreconciled to his son's sexual orientation but still very much in love with his wife, a fact which escapes her until her son points it out.

There is an absolutely riveting scene of the mother singing his baby song to her son that had me in tears. It wasn't over sentimentalized in any way, the father overlooking the scene adds to the feeling of his distance from his wife and son. Beautifully done. If I had any fault, it was with the ending. A little too pat.

I would see this again. Glenn Close was never lovelier. 7 out of 10.

Such a quiet and gentle film. All the action revolves around this family's domestic routines; meals served in the backyard overlooking the pond, wheelchair promenades down beautiful country roads and intimate conversations between mother and son basking in the gloaming (the last hour of daylight). It is during these moments that Close and Leonard absolutely shine. This is very much a story about a boy and his mom. All other relationships are secondary until the end of the film. Family relationships can be complicated, especially when one is dying. The stoic and reserved nature of the characters response to the gay son's health crisis is compelling.

A nice turn by Whoopi Goldberg as the live-in nurse who re-teaches the mother to physically care for and interact with her adult son.Pay special attention to the death scene (and I'm not really giving anything away here) and notice the characters breathing. It is a wonderful symbolic representation of one life ending and another being "reborn".

IN THE GLOAMING (1997/MTV) *** Glenn Close, David Strathairn, Robert Sean Leonard, Bridget Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg. Christopher Reeve (shortly after his debilitating horse riding accident) directed this HBO Films story about a WASP family coming to terms with their gay son's decision to return home to die with dignity and decidedly to heal some old wounds. Effective acting especially Close as the mother and Leonard as her boy.

I rented "In The Gloaming" mainly because I am an avid fan of the brilliant young actor Robert Sean Leonard. However, I was happily surprised to see a film that not only highlights Mr. Leonard's acting talents at their finest, but also a film that was a touching and brutally real look at an imperfect family and their struggles to cope with having to be around one another while crisis and tragedy tear their family apart. I believe this film is a must-see for anyone who has ever been a part of a family that has been tormented by the demons of its members.