A Mother's Prayer (1995)

Rosemary Holmstrom is struggling to bring up her son following the death of her husband. When she is diagnosed with AIDS, at first she refuses to believe it, but soon turns her attentions ... See full summary »

Director:

Larry Elikann

Writer:

Lee Rose

Stars:

Linda Hamilton, Noah Fleiss, Bruce Dern

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Linda Hamilton	...	Rosemary Holmstrom
Noah Fleiss	...	T.J. Holmstrom
Bruce Dern	...	John Walker
Kate Nelligan	...	Sheila Walker
RuPaul	...	Deacon "Dede"
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Ruby
Corey Parker	...	Spence Walker
Jenny O'Hara	...	Val
Gail Strickland	...	Ruth
McNally Sagal	...	Dr. Kahn
Aaron Lustig	...	Dr. Shapiro
Jane Whitney	...	Jane Whitney
Nancy Cassaro	...	Sophia
Alex Kapp Horner	...	Martha the Babysitter (as Alex Kapp)
James Arone	...	Man at Social Services

Storyline

Rosemary Holmstrom is struggling to bring up her son following the death of her husband. When she is diagnosed with AIDS, at first she refuses to believe it, but soon turns her attentions to the problem of what will happen to her son when she dies.

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Plot Keywords:

aids | medical | adoption | psychiatry

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for emotionally charged subject matter

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Difícil Escolha

Company Credits

Production Co:

MCA Television Entertainment (MTE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Noah Fleiss, a star is born.

Much of what I have to say has already been said by others. So my contribution will be brief. This is one of the most sincere and touching films that I have ever seen. If you are easily moved to tears, have a whole packet of tissues handy.

Though we may not be aware of the fact, there are women all over the world dying of Aids. Often they leave orphaned children behind. They and their children are frequently the innocent victims of a husband's selfish behaviour. Rosemary Holmstrom (Linda Hamilton) finds herself faced with just such a predicament completely out of the blue. She is a widow with no suitable relatives to look after her precious only child, T.J.(Noah Fleiss) after her inevitable premature death. So she sets about finding suitable parents to adopt him. The whole process tears her heart out, and it will do the same to you.

Linda Hamilton is convincing as the stricken mother and there are sensitive contributions from S. Epatha Merkerson and RuPaul, amongst others. But Noah Fleiss, as T.J., steals the show, not for the first time or for the last. He plays a child in a state of shock; confused, angry, deeply hurt, uncertain of his future, but still, witty, funny and above all loving. Simply terrific in only his third film. In one scene, in the middle of the film, T.J. is asked when he feels the hurt. There is a pregnant pause before T.J., staring wide-eyed straight into the camera replies, "All the time." I knew instantly that I had seen this before. In "The Sixth Sense" Haley Joel Osment is asked when he sees dead people. He pauses, opens his eyes wide, looks straight at the camera and replies, "All the time." Ironically that little poignant scene, possibly cribbed straight out this movie, helped Osment pip Fleiss (Joe The King) to the young actor award!