Au-delà du désespoir

Gay couple in Los Angeles deals with tragedy: one of the men has full-blown AIDS, and his estranged mother from Arkansas is called for. Soon, the mothers of both boys meet for the first time and couldn't be more dissimilar. Big-hearted TV-movie with statistics from 1991--at the time, 108,731 Americans had perished from AIDS. Everyone here is struggling to understand the disease (and homosexuality in general), which is pretty realistic for this era. Julie Andrews is the wealthy society-type who lives in a sparkling abode; Ann-Margret plays the bewigged cowgirl who's had a wild life of ups and downs. Dramatically, it might have been more interesting if the two actresses had switched roles--they're a little bit typecast--but it's a comfortable, secure match, and both ladies are shown to good advantage. Not so Hugh Grant as Andrews' son, looking a bit distanced from the proceedings. A small-budgeted but emotional film, dignified and even-keeled, and though Ann-Margret's character is anti-gay and refers to her son as "one of them", the movie attempts to show personal growth and is ultimately compassionate. *** from ****