The long time ex-spouse and widower of a recently deceased person get together to share final details of an estate, share memories, shout out resentments and finally come together to express their grief. This isn't two men or two women expressing regrets for a love they both shared for the same person, but a woman, the ex-wife, and a man, the lover of that spouse who died of an AIDS related illness. The woman is the outwardly strong Stockard Channing, desperately miserable inside with regret, and the man is Harvey Fierstein, bitter about the red tape yet consumed by the last moments of his lover's life.
When Fierstein explodes at Channing that her efforts to become his friend will not work, you know it's just a matter of time before the softness in his heart opens up the floodgates of emotions and creates a bond between the two. After all, it's very apparent that even in death, both people still loved the deceased, and that love is not likely to die just because the person did. The two stage trained actors really go out of their way to get into The souls of these grieving people, and in a short hour, so much emotion is revealed.
Based on one act of Fierstein's play "Safe Sex", this TV movie came out at approximately the same time that the movie version of "Torch Song Trilogy" did. While that film did deal with the grief of loss in the gay community, it didn't touch on HIV so in some senses, this film is much more profound considering the time in which it was released. Fierstein may not represent the average gay man with his over-the-top persona, but when he tones it down and speaks in a soft voice, it's as if the deceased have returned as angels to speak through him, and that makes this quite special and for those of us who never forget our losses, it still gives us a sense of comfort.
When Fierstein explodes at Channing that her efforts to become his friend will not work, you know it's just a matter of time before the softness in his heart opens up the floodgates of emotions and creates a bond between the two. After all, it's very apparent that even in death, both people still loved the deceased, and that love is not likely to die just because the person did. The two stage trained actors really go out of their way to get into The souls of these grieving people, and in a short hour, so much emotion is revealed.
Based on one act of Fierstein's play "Safe Sex", this TV movie came out at approximately the same time that the movie version of "Torch Song Trilogy" did. While that film did deal with the grief of loss in the gay community, it didn't touch on HIV so in some senses, this film is much more profound considering the time in which it was released. Fierstein may not represent the average gay man with his over-the-top persona, but when he tones it down and speaks in a soft voice, it's as if the deceased have returned as angels to speak through him, and that makes this quite special and for those of us who never forget our losses, it still gives us a sense of comfort.
