"A Disappearing Act" (aka, "When He Didn't Come Home") tells the true story of the murder of a young man by his fiancée. The characters in the film are respectively Timmy Dolan and Carolyn Blair. The true story was that of David Richmond, who was killed by Michele Ashley Roger.
The film portrays the story from the perspective of Timmy's devoted mother, Faye Dolan, who travels to Chicago to personally investigate her son's disappearance. Her efforts pay off as the trail of evidence leads back to Carolyn and her family members. Patty Duke gives a moving performance of the mother.
In a subtle way, the film demonstrates the reality of domestic abuse that was in this instance perpetrated by a woman against a man. Both Carolyn and her mother were physically abusive to the men in their lives. In the case of the sensitive Timmy Dolan, he finally had enough, decided to end the relationship, and Carolyn stabbed him in a fit of rage.
While the Dolan family was eventually convicted of murder, the sentences meted out by the court were troubling. The various family members who aided and abetted the murderer were all let off with probation and community service. The real life Michelle Ashley Roger was sentenced to seventeen years in prison, and her sentence was commuted after seven years behind bars.
If a man had killed a woman in this fashion, would the sentence have been the same? The viewers of this well-crafted and well-performed film can make up their minds about whether justice was served in the sad death of a decent and promising young man.
The film portrays the story from the perspective of Timmy's devoted mother, Faye Dolan, who travels to Chicago to personally investigate her son's disappearance. Her efforts pay off as the trail of evidence leads back to Carolyn and her family members. Patty Duke gives a moving performance of the mother.
In a subtle way, the film demonstrates the reality of domestic abuse that was in this instance perpetrated by a woman against a man. Both Carolyn and her mother were physically abusive to the men in their lives. In the case of the sensitive Timmy Dolan, he finally had enough, decided to end the relationship, and Carolyn stabbed him in a fit of rage.
While the Dolan family was eventually convicted of murder, the sentences meted out by the court were troubling. The various family members who aided and abetted the murderer were all let off with probation and community service. The real life Michelle Ashley Roger was sentenced to seventeen years in prison, and her sentence was commuted after seven years behind bars.
If a man had killed a woman in this fashion, would the sentence have been the same? The viewers of this well-crafted and well-performed film can make up their minds about whether justice was served in the sad death of a decent and promising young man.