Certainly the character of the father here played by John Glover is a monster for what he does to his son, but the build-up thanks to Glover's performance shows him as a father who loves his son and became so desperate to keep him that he did something reprehensible, and you said the mental illness inside him that builds up to it. Once you get past the presence of Bernadette Peters as the mother, you begin to feel her suffering. Best known for comedy and Broadway musicals, Peters would not be my first ideal choice as the mother, but having seen the equally versatile Liza Minnelli as the long-suffering mother in "A Time to Live", I was able to open my mind to seeing her in a different light. Remembering that regardless of what their best known for that they are actresses first and foremost, suspending disbelief is necessary for casting choices like that.
It's a good thing that there's a woman awake in the middle of the night that goes outside as the crime Glover commits is discovered. Otherwise, David may not have survived his father attempting to burn him to death so his mother would never get him back. Dan Lauria is good as Peters' second husband, and stage veteran George Grizzard strong as the doctor on David's case. I didn't care too much about the way the telegram is read to Peters over the phone as if there wasn't enough detailed information on it to show any emotion from the woman reading it. Be assured that you do not see David on fire so the horrifying visual of that makes it a bit easier to do in spite of the horrors of the case. Matthew Lawrence is absolutely adorable as the title character.
Once again, the press shows their inappropriate presence in a personal situation, an infuriating intrusion. It's easy to hate the father, but I couldn't paste Glover's performance. Every element of every thought going through his mind is visible without him even having to say a word. Peters is heart-wrenching to watch as she realizes what has happened, initially denying that the boy covered in gauze could be her son, but breaking down when she realizes that it is. This is horrific drama based on the destruction of many lives, difficult to watch psychologically, and often I found myself feeling like an intruder watching it. It is a film filled with conflicting human emotion that anybody with a heart will feel the desire to wrap up triumphantly and with justice served.
It's a good thing that there's a woman awake in the middle of the night that goes outside as the crime Glover commits is discovered. Otherwise, David may not have survived his father attempting to burn him to death so his mother would never get him back. Dan Lauria is good as Peters' second husband, and stage veteran George Grizzard strong as the doctor on David's case. I didn't care too much about the way the telegram is read to Peters over the phone as if there wasn't enough detailed information on it to show any emotion from the woman reading it. Be assured that you do not see David on fire so the horrifying visual of that makes it a bit easier to do in spite of the horrors of the case. Matthew Lawrence is absolutely adorable as the title character.
Once again, the press shows their inappropriate presence in a personal situation, an infuriating intrusion. It's easy to hate the father, but I couldn't paste Glover's performance. Every element of every thought going through his mind is visible without him even having to say a word. Peters is heart-wrenching to watch as she realizes what has happened, initially denying that the boy covered in gauze could be her son, but breaking down when she realizes that it is. This is horrific drama based on the destruction of many lives, difficult to watch psychologically, and often I found myself feeling like an intruder watching it. It is a film filled with conflicting human emotion that anybody with a heart will feel the desire to wrap up triumphantly and with justice served.