Mensaje a mi hija

This is a movie ahead of its time in its portrayal of a troubled young woman who decides not to have an abortion. In her tapes to her daughter, she is real, angry at times, hostile to her own parents. When I saw it years ago on TV I remember a different soundtrack, a John Denver one, with "sunshine on my shoulder" being the theme. I must have mixed up movies. The movie itself left a lasting impression on me, as my mother had died two years before. I bought it the other day. It is dated and rather choppy now. The daughter's character is not fully explored but the mother's is. A good double hanky number.

I'm watching it as I type.

Bonnie Bedelia. I am always reminded of how beautiful she is and that she looks like Molly Shannon, formerly of Saturday Night Live, I think, anyway.

I had heard of her Oscar nominated performance in "Heart Like A Wheel" a movie about race car driver Shirley Muldowney, and I knew Bedelia was in the Die-hard movies, two of them anyway.

I looked her name up to see what else she might have done that I had seen.

Message to My Daughter, a 1973 telemovie.

About the right time. A quick read of the plot confirmed it. This is what I saw way back then.

I didn't watch all of it, but it seemed incredibly intriguing, and I do remember the abortion attempt, but she changed her mind.

It was the year of Roe v. Wade.

So was this movie pro abortion or anti abortion? 1973 wasn't a tame year for subject matter, but it is astonishing that more isn't heard about this film.

I was so drawn to this then. I remember it so well. Miraculously my search on YouTube with very little information was spot on!! Now I want to Rewatch The Panic in Needle Park. This picture is dated a little. But, when the mother says "My baby!" I was a blubbering mess. ABC TV Movies in those days are GREAT. Reccomendation. Watch The Jericho Mile, with Peter Strauss 1979.

i've read all of the other reviews but no one mentions martin sheen . i saw this film by chance. it must have been a rebroadcast in 1975 or 1976. and i have never forgotten the magnificent, underplayed performance by martin sheen, exhibiting the quiet strength that is so characteristic of much of his later work. it made me a lifelong fan. and yes, bonnie bedelia was also wonderful (although frankly, until i read the other reviews, i had not remembered it was her, this being so early in her career). a powerful film, that says so much about how little we sometimes know about the people we are closest to, until something surprises us (noting the daughter's comment near the end of the film, speaking of her father).

Message To My Daughter is a movie you will only find in the archives of movie making. A creative, thoughtful, and absorbing film with enough meaning to touch even the most disconnected soul. One can only wish that these performances were captured on better quality film and sound recordings. The acting was real and full of genuineness that anyone who lived through those years could relate to. The story is heart wrenching and sad but also carries with it a thread of hope for a happy ending which doesn't disappoint. The idea of a dying mother to leave recordings for her daughter is beautiful and touching. May we all be so thoughtful. 7.3/10.