Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
In the Gloaming is a drama about a couple whose adult son comes home to die.
When Danny (Robert Sean Leonard) comes home, his parents, Janet (Glenn Close) and Martin (David Strathairn), seem a bit distant and unsure of themselves. Danny is suffering from AIDS complications, and they don’t know how to deal with it.
As Danny settles in, Janet and Martin invite his sister, Anne (Bridget Fonda), for dinner. Anne arrives without her husband or her son and seems unsure of what to say to Danny. What follows is an awkward dinner, and when she leaves, unfinished family issues begin to rise to the surface.
Some Thoughts:
In the Gloaming is a quiet and subtle film with a fine cast who know what’s needed from them and deliver fine performances. However, the same can’t be said for the script, which doesn’t delve deep enough into its subject to give a satisfying conclusion.
Danny’s distant relationship with his father is barely addressed, so the underlying issues between them are always a bit vague. There are a few scenes with Danny and his father, but none of them fully explore the tensions between them. And Danny’s disastrous relationship with his sister, Anne, is even worse. The animosity she feels towards him is brushed away as petty jealousy, with Anne being upset that Janet pays too much attention to Danny. It also doesn’t help that there isn’t a scene between Danny and Anne, so we never get to see how they interact with each other. Anne could be stripped from the film and nothing about the story would change.
The movie shines during the intimate scenes between Danny and his mother. Because the acting is so good, they feel honest and are quietly heartwarming. We get a good sense of their connection and how it was lost. These scenes would be enough if the story was centered solely on them, but it’s not. It’s a shame because this is where the heart of the movie lies.
The Final Verdict:
In the Gloaming is a quiet and moody film that suffers from family dynamics that aren’t fully explored.