Another knockout performance from Bonnie Bedelia (the eternal Holly McClane from the "Die Hard" franchise) in a great TV drama based on a real
story. She plays the mother of US Navy seaman Allen Schindler Jr., a young man killed by two shipmates simply because he was gay. When she learns through
the media about the crime and the motive, she begins to confront herself and her bias (she didn't he was gay, and so it happens that she had a great
deal of prejudice herself), and also embarks, along with her daugther and Allen's sister, on a fight for justice, questioning the Navy's way of
handling things.
It's a very emotional film but hardly ever sentimental. Things unfold in a great suitable way, and Bedelia's transition with her fears and discomfort on the things she end up discovering slowly builds her as a strong character, with plenty of moral fiber and as always brings the best of her care and concern for her family and her dead son. I like that her transition isn't something that miraculously happens overnight, it all feels real and believable thanks to the script and the actress understanding and dedication to it.
It was a tough watch at parts due to some intense and heated homophobic line of thought coming from a relative of theirs (but hey, it's the 1990's and things were really like that in some circles), but whenever there were the moments concerning the mother's search for the truth or the first time she meets her sons caring friends, the movie kept going through special times with one great scene after another.
A missing moment here and one that is quite known researching on the web was Allen's using of the 2QTBSTR8 signaling on the ship which got him in trouble, not because of being a gay celebration but the illegality of the signaling. I get amused with this story and his bravery in doing so.
"Any Mother's Son" is a very compelling and concisive story that shows that a mother's love can take her to unexpected places and unexpected people and those will give her a wider comprehension of things, and prove that her love for her son will never fade and it can only grow. 9/10.
It's a very emotional film but hardly ever sentimental. Things unfold in a great suitable way, and Bedelia's transition with her fears and discomfort on the things she end up discovering slowly builds her as a strong character, with plenty of moral fiber and as always brings the best of her care and concern for her family and her dead son. I like that her transition isn't something that miraculously happens overnight, it all feels real and believable thanks to the script and the actress understanding and dedication to it.
It was a tough watch at parts due to some intense and heated homophobic line of thought coming from a relative of theirs (but hey, it's the 1990's and things were really like that in some circles), but whenever there were the moments concerning the mother's search for the truth or the first time she meets her sons caring friends, the movie kept going through special times with one great scene after another.
A missing moment here and one that is quite known researching on the web was Allen's using of the 2QTBSTR8 signaling on the ship which got him in trouble, not because of being a gay celebration but the illegality of the signaling. I get amused with this story and his bravery in doing so.
"Any Mother's Son" is a very compelling and concisive story that shows that a mother's love can take her to unexpected places and unexpected people and those will give her a wider comprehension of things, and prove that her love for her son will never fade and it can only grow. 9/10.