In the Gloaming (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Christopher Reeve

Writers (WGA):

Alice Elliott Dark (story)
Will Scheffer (teleplay)

Release Date:

20 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Danny, dying of Aids, returns home for his last months. Always close to his mother, they share moments...

Plot Keywords:

AIDS | Gay Interest | Based On Short Story | Homosexual | Bereavement

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Glenn Close	...	Janet
Bridget Fonda	...	Anne
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Nurse Myrna
Robert Sean Leonard	...	Danny
David Strathairn	...	Martin
Annie Stark	...	Young Anne
Will Reeve	...	Young Danny

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

Brazil:61 min | Argentina:62 min | USA:67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Westchester County, New York, USA

Company:

Frederick Zollo Productions

Trivia:

Director Christopher Reeve's wife, Dana, sings the song "In The Gloaming" during the credits, and his son plays the boy in the opening scene.

Quotes:

Danny: Come on. Don't tell me you finally asking about my sex life.
Janet: No. I'm asking you about your love life. Did you love? Were you loved?
Danny: Yes.
Janet: Good.

Movie Connections:

References 42nd Street (1933)

Soundtrack:

Danny Boy

A Boy and his Mom

Such a quiet and gentle film. All the action revolves around this family's domestic routines; meals served in the backyard overlooking the pond, wheelchair promenades down beautiful country roads and intimate conversations between mother and son basking in the gloaming (the last hour of daylight). It is during these moments that Close and Leonard absolutely shine. This is very much a story about a boy and his mom. All other relationships are secondary until the end of the film. Family relationships can be complicated, especially when one is dying. The stoic and reserved nature of the characters response to the gay son's health crisis is compelling.

A nice turn by Whoopi Goldberg as the live-in nurse who re-teaches the mother to physically care for and interact with her adult son.Pay special attention to the death scene (and I'm not really giving anything away here) and notice the characters breathing. It is a wonderful symbolic representation of one life ending and another being "reborn".