This film takes a non-conventional approach to a mother's revenge after the brutal assault of her daughter. Instead of a carefully planned vigilante act, the mom kills the perpetrator in a moment of high anxiety after he is acquitted. The shooting occurs in the courtroom. If ever there was an instance of temporary insanity, this is it. And it is the legal concept of temporary insanity that is explored in the film.
The screenplay was exceptional in providing dialogue that gave each performer the opportunity to pull out the emotional stops. A twist came when the defense attorney for the rapist Frank Warden elects to represent the mom, Carol Sanders. The attorney, Ellen Wells, effortlessly switched sides to represent the wounded mother.
The courtroom scenes unfolded the drama of the temporary insanity defense. In the end, the judge's ruling was curious. While the verdict was surprising, all parties seemed to be reconciled to the judge's decision. It is clear at the end that the lives of those involved will never be the same.
While the film may have been excessively sentimental, the ensemble cast was superb in commitment to the realities of the brutality of an unspeakable crime. Much credit should go to the director for the compositional choices for key dramatic moments. One of the most moving of the characters was the older sister Jill, who blamed herself for arriving late at school. But the entire cast was terrific in portraying the overall impact of a domestic tragedy.
The screenplay was exceptional in providing dialogue that gave each performer the opportunity to pull out the emotional stops. A twist came when the defense attorney for the rapist Frank Warden elects to represent the mom, Carol Sanders. The attorney, Ellen Wells, effortlessly switched sides to represent the wounded mother.
The courtroom scenes unfolded the drama of the temporary insanity defense. In the end, the judge's ruling was curious. While the verdict was surprising, all parties seemed to be reconciled to the judge's decision. It is clear at the end that the lives of those involved will never be the same.
While the film may have been excessively sentimental, the ensemble cast was superb in commitment to the realities of the brutality of an unspeakable crime. Much credit should go to the director for the compositional choices for key dramatic moments. One of the most moving of the characters was the older sister Jill, who blamed herself for arriving late at school. But the entire cast was terrific in portraying the overall impact of a domestic tragedy.