Much of what I have to say has already been said by others. So my contribution will be brief. This is one of the most sincere and touching films that I have ever seen. If you are easily moved to tears, have a whole packet of tissues handy.
Though we may not be aware of the fact, there are women all over the world dying of Aids. Often they leave orphaned children behind. They and their children are frequently the innocent victims of a husband's selfish behaviour. Rosemary Holmstrom (Linda Hamilton) finds herself faced with just such a predicament completely out of the blue. She is a widow with no suitable relatives to look after her precious only child, T.J.(Noah Fleiss) after her inevitable premature death. So she sets about finding suitable parents to adopt him. The whole process tears her heart out, and it will do the same to you.
Linda Hamilton is convincing as the stricken mother and there are sensitive contributions from S. Epatha Merkerson and RuPaul, amongst others. But Noah Fleiss, as T.J., steals the show, not for the first time or for the last. He plays a child in a state of shock; confused, angry, deeply hurt, uncertain of his future, but still, witty, funny and above all loving. Simply terrific in only his third film. In one scene, in the middle of the film, T.J. is asked when he feels the hurt. There is a pregnant pause before T.J., staring wide-eyed straight into the camera replies, "All the time." I knew instantly that I had seen this before. In "The Sixth Sense" Haley Joel Osment is asked when he sees dead people. He pauses, opens his eyes wide, looks straight at the camera and replies, "All the time." Ironically that little poignant scene, possibly cribbed straight out this movie, helped Osment pip Fleiss (Joe The King) to the young actor award!
