Andre's Mother (1990) (TV)

Director:

Deborah Reinisch

Writers:

Terrence McNally (play)
Terrence McNally (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Three days in the life of the lover, Mother and Grandmother ofAndre who has just died of AIDS.

Plot Keywords:

AIDS | Gay Son | Loss Of Lover | Loss Of Son | Homosexuality

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Richard Thomas	...	Cal - Andre's lover
Sada Thompson	...	Andre's Mother
Sylvia Sidney	...	Andre's Grandmother
Richard Venture
Haviland Morris	...	Cal's Sister
Conan McCarty

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

American Playhouse

The real focus is on Sada Thompson and Sylvia Sidney

This was supposed to be about a bond between the mother of a man who died of AIDS and his gay lover, but the real scene stealers were the moments between Andre's mother, Sada Thompson, and her mother, Sylvia Sidney, and how the relationship from her own mother prevented her from showing her feelings now. Sidney made one of the most compelling statements about how their family was coming to an end as the only grandson, Andre, was gay and had died of AIDS, leaving no offspring. In a restaurant, she candidly asks the waiter if he is gay, and he candidly answers. These were the moments that drove this story, not Richard Thomas as the non-infected lover of the late Andre. Thomas was merely depicting betrayal in a relationship, but Thompson and Sidney were portraying one of the few performances of a parent who cared for the child but not the lifestyle, and so few performances like these have been seen.