I saw this when I was a teenager myself. It was so disturbing that I didn't see it again until I was in my 20s.
The premise of this movie is incredibly sad; James Farentino is brilliant as Gordon Williams, a man whose views of what boys should do - playing sports & outdoors - fits a very narrow stereotype. Only one of his sons, Keith, fits his father's mold. The older son, Brian, is more at home absorbed in a book or computer than in sports - and despite his father's attempts to make him fit this mold, Gordon soon finds it's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Mr. Williams makes no secret of his favoritism towards Keith, and despite his wife Kate's (Jill Eikenberry of L.A. Law) attempts to defend Brian, Gordon presses on with his mission to force Brian to fit his rather narrow standards. Brian is gradually revealed as a boy with very serious emotional problems (the death of the pet rabbit, running away from home), but his father continues to show a blatant favoritism towards Keith. It will end in the ultimate tragedy. On a holiday, Keith is drowned after falling from a canoe. Kate & Gordon are devastated, as is Brian, who I think actually loved his brother but resented his dad's blatant favoritism towards Keith. The local sheriff interviews Brian about the accident & discovers a horrifying truth - that Brian deliberately acted too slow to rescue Keith. Brian is charged with voluntary manslaughter after his admission to the sheriff (perhaps he saw his life as having already ended). When the sheriff informs Kate of these facts, she is horrified - and confronts her husband angrily about his obvious favoritism. Gordon defends his behavior, and Kate states that she no longer wants to be married to him if he continues to act this way. It appears that a father's rigid, narrow mindset have set in motion a tragic chain of events that have obliterated a family.
The issue of emotional abuse is not often raised today, as physical & sexual abuse are the criminal acts that are raised in the media. Although not a crime, emotional abuse can scar its victims for life, particularly when it comes from a parent. This movie raised that tragic issue for however a short time. It is a very sad but all-too-realistic portrayal of what CAN happen when emotional abuse is allowed to continue in a family.
The premise of this movie is incredibly sad; James Farentino is brilliant as Gordon Williams, a man whose views of what boys should do - playing sports & outdoors - fits a very narrow stereotype. Only one of his sons, Keith, fits his father's mold. The older son, Brian, is more at home absorbed in a book or computer than in sports - and despite his father's attempts to make him fit this mold, Gordon soon finds it's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Mr. Williams makes no secret of his favoritism towards Keith, and despite his wife Kate's (Jill Eikenberry of L.A. Law) attempts to defend Brian, Gordon presses on with his mission to force Brian to fit his rather narrow standards. Brian is gradually revealed as a boy with very serious emotional problems (the death of the pet rabbit, running away from home), but his father continues to show a blatant favoritism towards Keith. It will end in the ultimate tragedy. On a holiday, Keith is drowned after falling from a canoe. Kate & Gordon are devastated, as is Brian, who I think actually loved his brother but resented his dad's blatant favoritism towards Keith. The local sheriff interviews Brian about the accident & discovers a horrifying truth - that Brian deliberately acted too slow to rescue Keith. Brian is charged with voluntary manslaughter after his admission to the sheriff (perhaps he saw his life as having already ended). When the sheriff informs Kate of these facts, she is horrified - and confronts her husband angrily about his obvious favoritism. Gordon defends his behavior, and Kate states that she no longer wants to be married to him if he continues to act this way. It appears that a father's rigid, narrow mindset have set in motion a tragic chain of events that have obliterated a family.
The issue of emotional abuse is not often raised today, as physical & sexual abuse are the criminal acts that are raised in the media. Although not a crime, emotional abuse can scar its victims for life, particularly when it comes from a parent. This movie raised that tragic issue for however a short time. It is a very sad but all-too-realistic portrayal of what CAN happen when emotional abuse is allowed to continue in a family.