The performances by Bonnie Bedelia and Kitty Winn are truly winning in this drama about a mother and daughter who never got to meet in adulthood. Winn died years ago and has left behind reel-to-reel tapes for her daughter to listen to when she's an adult. Husband Martin Sheen has held on to them for years, and when Bedelia has a breakdown which results in a very bad car accident, he decides it's time to hand them over, with him only knowing the reason why he waited so long. That's the question I had throughout the film until a Twist really tells why. Bedelia takes off for train trip nearly across country, taking the tapes with her as well as a portable player that she takes with her and listens to everywhere she goes. The life of the deceased mother is explained through her own relationship with her own parents, as well as twists along the way that are parallel in many ways to the emotional strain the 19 year old Bedelia is feeling even though her situation is completely different. The emotional breakdown she has is never explained in reasons other than the trouble of youth, and considering everything, her issues aren't too difficult to understand and empathize with.
You get to see Martin Sheen in mature makeup and as his young self as well, and as he was not too much older than Bedelia, that's realistic casting, and he doesn't look ridiculous with the slicked-back hair and mustache. The flashbacks going to 1959 are mixed in with those set in the early seventies, but the narrative is never confusing because of the jumping around of time. Both stories are interesting, and both characters have encounters with people along the way that add a bit of humor and insight into their personalities. Winn's estrangement from her parents it's also dealt with in a way that is realistic, with her being the one to decide when it's time to mend those broken fences. There are a few social elements of Winn's story that were very topical when this was released. I like the usage of a Karen Carpenter song although it's obviously not her singing. It is a film that shows a triumph over despondency and certainly is a message for hope.
You get to see Martin Sheen in mature makeup and as his young self as well, and as he was not too much older than Bedelia, that's realistic casting, and he doesn't look ridiculous with the slicked-back hair and mustache. The flashbacks going to 1959 are mixed in with those set in the early seventies, but the narrative is never confusing because of the jumping around of time. Both stories are interesting, and both characters have encounters with people along the way that add a bit of humor and insight into their personalities. Winn's estrangement from her parents it's also dealt with in a way that is realistic, with her being the one to decide when it's time to mend those broken fences. There are a few social elements of Winn's story that were very topical when this was released. I like the usage of a Karen Carpenter song although it's obviously not her singing. It is a film that shows a triumph over despondency and certainly is a message for hope.