In the Gloaming

Glenn Close's character speaks about movies that make you laugh and cry. This is one of those, although tbh it makes you cry a lot more than it makes you laugh, or even smile. I cried buckets.

A TV movie, but those can be really good and with this cast it's almost impossible to fail. There's something magical about Danny and his mom and their quiet talks outside. Directed by Christopher Reeve. A short movie but very touching. It's very predictable but the beauty is in the dialogue and the chemistry that the characters have or do not have. All actors contribute here, even those with minor roles. Bridget Fonda's is thankless and limited but she does well too. I guess it could've been longer and probed more into dad and sis. But it's fine.

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.

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.

I've seen this film a number of times, and time and time again, I get the same feeling and hope in my head - that not all parents (especially the father's) are quite like this family. The mother was cold up until she knew that whatever she did or said would not change the fact that her son was going to die.

The father.....I don't have the brain energy to talk about this _ _ _.

The father was not interested in the son, his life or happiness or anything about the boy for that matter - until the son was dead - then all of sudden it was all "can you please tell me what else my son wanted" - oh give me a friggin break. If he was at all interested he could of found out himself a few days before the son died.

Overall - a very good movie - but you might feel a little empty spot in your head or heart at the end of this movie.

My first observation was the beauty of the landscape. The New England area must be one of the most beautiful places on earth, especially in autumn when the leaves turn gold and red. The writers use this fact to their advantage when they set their story in such heavenly surroundings.

Then when I heard the music (piano only) I said to myself this is going to be a sad film, or may be overly sentimental.

As the story progressed, I sensed that here was a family whose members lived independent lives until the son comes home to die of AIDS. In this new situation the family is scarcely able to cope and they employ a nurse (Whoopi Goldberg) as a carer. There is a moving scene where the nurse virtually teaches the mother (Glenn Close) how to express her love towards her sleeping son. "Touch him" she says.

There are many scenes between the mother and son when thoughts about their respective lives are exchanged. It is as if they are getting to know each other for the first time. The dialogue in the film is mainly between mother and son. All the other characters while still important have much less to say.

The film has a gentle quality about it. All the characters repress their thoughts and feelings apart from an occasional outburst of frustration that tends to liven up the sad circumstances. We have seen films about dying AIDS victims before so there is nothing new here, except for the beauty of the setting. All those trees aflame in the sunset and an empty garden seat definitely accent the sadness suffered by the family.