Unless someone is going to appear in a revival of this play, I doubt they would watch this willingly more than once. It's a very depressing story of a young girl with cerebral palsy and how her parents, Alan Bates and Janet's husband, get through the everyday life of their sad existence with humor and love. But the time has come to make a decision of how to deal with a situation that cannot be improved upon, and discussions of what to do with her dominate the film with opinions of friends and family. Friends Sheila Gish uses the analogy of what the Nazis did as a form of mercy killing, and of course, this is a disgusting option that the parents wouldn't ever consider...or would they? Bates' mother Joan Hickson also intrude, and she's an unwelcome presence. Discussions over the religious consequences (even though they are not serious followers of any religion) add a bit of humor in discussing the Christmas holiday which one of the characters says religion has interfered in.
By the time this is all over, the audience is a wreck, even feeling a bit guilty over the times they've laughed throughout the movie. Bates and Suzman (an actress who should be as well known as fellow British actresses Jackson, Redgrave and Smith) are superb. I feel sorry for the teen girl in a constant seemingly catatonic state in her wheelchair, basically with her head down most of the time, and of course the character she plays who seems to have no purpose to life. This asks more questions than it answers, particularly "Why?", and in a more detailed question, "Why us?' So this is better off as a view of very good acting as Bates and Suzman have terrific chemistry than entertainment, and this is the type of story that is more affecting as a play because people who go to the theater expect that sort of intense dramatic character-driven plot lines. In the end, none of the issues raised are really solved, and obviously a new crisis seems to be on its way, adding to the already depressing elements of this very theatrical drama.
By the time this is all over, the audience is a wreck, even feeling a bit guilty over the times they've laughed throughout the movie. Bates and Suzman (an actress who should be as well known as fellow British actresses Jackson, Redgrave and Smith) are superb. I feel sorry for the teen girl in a constant seemingly catatonic state in her wheelchair, basically with her head down most of the time, and of course the character she plays who seems to have no purpose to life. This asks more questions than it answers, particularly "Why?", and in a more detailed question, "Why us?' So this is better off as a view of very good acting as Bates and Suzman have terrific chemistry than entertainment, and this is the type of story that is more affecting as a play because people who go to the theater expect that sort of intense dramatic character-driven plot lines. In the end, none of the issues raised are really solved, and obviously a new crisis seems to be on its way, adding to the already depressing elements of this very theatrical drama.