The 1990 PBS offering of a Terrence McNally play(more like a playlet,since this barely covers an hour's time) is a very simple story of the strained relations between a be-grieved lover and his lover's mother in the wake of said lover's death. The difference,of course,is that the lovers in this instance are gay men and the mother has had extreme difficulty dealing with this fact,which makes her son's death from AIDS all the more painful for her.
This show works on so many levels. McNally's play is chatty--perhaps to a fault--but it never fails to convey the friction of the relationships that Andre's mother has with not only his lover Cal(Richard Thomas,almost saintly here)but also with her mother(Sylvia Sindey) and,of course, Andre himself. The use of symbolism(mostly of white balloons),classical music and Shakespearian verse creates an almost ethereal air to this show. It might seem to be another sainted,gay people dealing with death and intolerance movie from these elements,but the brevity and care that this show is made with allows enough emotional bonding with the characters without tiring the viewer("Philadelphia" comes to mind here)along the way.
A sad and reflective film that,if you bond with it in any way,you will want to know more about these characters after it is over. More of a snapshot than a portrait,but in serious entertainment these days, I personally find that highly refreshing.