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In the Gloaming (1997)

In the Gloaming (1997)

7.0

Mother and son reconnect in this quietly moving queer drama

Movie

United States of America
English
Drama, TV Movie
1997

TLDR

Budget and location limit this TV movie, but top performances keep it afloat.

What it's about

Diagnosed with AIDS, Danny (Robert Sean Leonard) comes home to spend the rest of his days with his family in their home in the New York suburbs. But amid distant family members, he forges a deeper connection with his mother Janet (Glenn Close).

The take

In the Gloaming has the expected constraints of a made-for-TV movie. It is set in only a handful of places, features even fewer characters, and utilizes that all-too-familiar cheesy soundtrack present in (I swear) every family drama produced in the ‘90s. That said, In the Gloaming feels more like a precious indie than a cheap TV movie. Mostly, it has the leading performances of Glenn Close and Robert Sean Leonard to thank for that. The two don’t have the big performances you’d expect from a film about AIDS, but their simple and subtle approach works even better than that. First-time director Christopher Reeve (yes, Superman) does well to stay on Close’s face for a few beats longer to show how much pain and doubt she’s hiding beneath her facade of calm. I only wish the film could’ve tied its many loose ends and that we got to know more about Leondard’s character—really know him, beyond his being gay. This would’ve made the film stronger, though it is already a moving watch.

What stands out

I’ve never seen a star more under-utilized than Whoopi Goldberg in this movie.

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