Danny (Robert Sean Leonard), a gay man in his 20s with AIDS, returns to his suburban family to die. Always close to his mother Janet (Glenn Close), they share moments of openness that tend to shut out Danny's father Martin (David Strathairn) and his sister Anne (Bridget Fonda). They live a privileged upper-class existence in a grand house, but Martin is a stiff workaholic and Janet is a bored woman numbed by her insular life. Anne is a cold complaining yuppie with a razor sharp iciness. The emotionally repressed family allows years of pent-up tensions, resentment, and insecurities to explode to the surface. The film moves quickly through Danny's final months, which are monitored by live-in nurse Myrna (Whoopi Goldberg) in a small role that isn't much more than a cameo. This movie is not another attack on suburban life, but a look at an intensely loving relationship between Danny and his mother. They reminisce, cry, and make jokes, and Janet's renewed bond with Danny makes her realize what she's been missing.
The theme of the movie is that Janet comes to life as Danny dies. "Gloaming" is a Scottish term for the hazy, glowing time of day just as the sun begins to set. The title comes from the popular 1877 song "In the Gloaming" by Annie Fortescue Harrison and Meta Orred. This acclaimed made-for-cable drama marks the directorial debut of actor Christopher Reeve. It was filmed in Westchester, New York. Dave Grusin composed the music. Will Scheffer wrote the screenplay from Alice Elliott Dark's 1993 "New Yorker" short story.
