We're in Ordinary People country with this wrenching, sometimes a tad precious drama based on Alice Elliott Dark's New Yorker story about a picture-perfect family whose repressed emotional wounds and bitter resentments are revealed when the AIDS-afflicted son returns home. Originally broadcast on HBO, this heartfelt drama marks the auspicious directorial debut of Christopher Reeve, whose participation attracted a distinguished ensemble, including Glenn Close as the self-described "aging housewife," David Straithairn as the distant father, Bridget Fonda as the scornfully embittered sister and Robert Sean Leonard as the son so estranged from his family he tentatively knocks on the front door before entering his own home. A restrained Whoopi Goldberg, in prestige project mode, costars as his nurse. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)
In the Gloaming
(HBO, 67 min., PG, avail. Sept. 9) Vol. 12, Issue 5
In the Gloaming
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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