In the Gloaming (1997)

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.

It's In the Water (1996)

When an AIDS hospice opens up in Azalea Springs, Texas, the local homophobes over-react and polarize the community. The movie is about a lesbian and a gay man coming out to their socially prominent families in a small southern town. Alex Stratton (Keri Jo Chapman) is a married woman who begins to have second thoughts about her sexual orientation. She has not had sex with her husband in months, and doesn't even talk to him anymore. Alex infuriates her mother by volunteering at the AIDS hospice. There she meets and becomes romantically involved with Grace Miller (Teresa Garrett), an old school friend who has just left her husband. He is now in jail for beating her up because she was having an affair with another woman. While Alex's self discovery is rather quick due to the constraints of movie timing, it is well handled.

The main gay chararter is Mark (Derrick Sanders), who has known that he is gay ever since he was a teenager. At "homo-no-mo group", an organization that is supposed to turn its members into "ex-gays", he meets Thomas (Timothy Vahle), is immediately attracted to him, and starts pursuing a relationship. There is also a minor subplot involving a rumor that drinking the local water turns people gay. Other subplots follow the coming out story of a young newspaper boy who ends up in bed with a sexy Latino artist, and the death of the town's openly gay interior designer.

This sexy enjoyable over-the-top comedy masquerading as a Southern potboiler has a predictable plot. The acting is not the best but it's more believable than most movies. While the straight characters tend to be rather broadly drawn, "It's in the Water" is a gentle film with stereotypical characters that allows its message to be more universal. The DVD includes a commentary by the director and leading actresses, including a discussion of what it was like for two straight actresses to play their first lesbian love scene. It's one of the few recent films with both gay men and lesbian characters. Kelli Hurd wrote the screenplay and directed.