While it is difficult to conceive of now that it has attained a level of prestige that it never had before, there was a time in which television was seen as an inferior medium – the delineation between movie stars and television actors was broad and took a lot of talent, effort and finagling to achieve, at least from one direction to the other, with those who had made their career in television seemingly being restricted to this medium, and those in cinema were more hesitant to take part in an industry that was not nearly as financially or supposedly artistically viable as what they were used to in Hollywood. The one exception to this came in the form of HBO, the cable network that attained a level of respect through primarily their well-made films and miniseries that often attracted a high calibre of talent, usually being the home of film actors who wanted to take on a slightly smaller project without committing to a multiseason show, especially in an artistic economy in which the presence of a recognizable name wasn’t an immediate indication of potential success. In the Gloaming is one of the best examples of these films, since it is a quiet, meditative family drama that is not at all revolutionary or even all that impressive on an artistic level, but has enough heart and soul to overcome any criticisms that it was not nearly as effective as the cinematic equivalents. Serving as the directorial debut for Christopher Reeve, who had sadly found himself forced into a new phase of his career after an accident caused the loss of his mobility, this film is an intensely personal work in how it examines the mentalities around one of the most challenging subjects of the late 20th century, and even as a novice filmmaker, Reeve exhibits extraordinary prowess in pulling together a compelling drama that feels so much more endearing and honest, which is always the sign of a truly remarkable and moving film, even if it could never be called particularly original in any official definition of the term.

These films usually were able to tell more serious stories around topics that weren’t quite seen as feasible for feature films – often running at approximately an hour, these were perfect opportunities for discussions around pressing issues that were important to explore, but would not have likely achieved much traction in a theatrical setting, and instead benefited from these mid-budget, solid adult dramas that didn’t have much restrictions when it came to subject matter. In the Gloaming makes its intentions clear from the start – this is a film that is intent on tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis, which had been a major issue for just over a decade by the time the article by Alice Elliott Dark on which this film was based was published in The New York. There has never been a moment since it emerged that this disease has not been a source of an abundance of discussion and debate, so it is wrong to suggest that this film was in any way made at a time in which the subject was still too difficult to discuss since it remains a deeply controversial and challenging topic that continues to be one of the most significant health crises facing the world. In the Gloaming is not a film that aims to relitigate these same talking points, or even be focused on the disease itself, but rather serves to be a piece of quiet activism, a meditation on this dreadful disease as seen through the perspective of half a dozen characters as they navigate the challenges associated with it, whether it be a patient receiving the dreaded prognosis that he will be consumed by this disease, or the more profound conversations on identity, with this film focusing a lot of its time on the theme of homosexuality, which has its complicated history when we are looking at how HIV/AIDS was seen and continues to be perceived. This material needed a strong writer and director to bring it to life since there needed to be some level of thoughtfulness and honesty that underpins this story, and screenwriter Will Scheffer so beautifully composed a quietly devastating character study that he passes over to Reeve, who weaves it into a beautiful and poetic ode to both those who passed on and the survivors who continued to fight this illness, especially alongside more personal battles with familial and societal bias.

What is important to note about In the Gloaming is that this is not a film that entirely aims to be a sweeping, over-arching analysis of the experiences of those who fell victim to HIV/AIDS as well as their loved ones and peers. Reeve is not focused on offering a detailed account of the epidemic and its history, but rather telling a story of a single person as he and his family navigate the challenges that come when such a diagnosis is received, looking at the trials and tribulations of a few people as they come to terms with this unexpected and quite tragic situation. Primarily, this film is about the relationship between a mother and a son, and how it took a life-threatening illness for them to finally connect after years of estrangement, all of which was caused primarily by hubris more than anything else. If you remove the subject matter of HIV/AIDS entirely, the film can stand perfectly on its own, being a striking and compelling drama about a relationship being reformed by simply setting aside the differences that have driven two relatives apart, and which have been brought together again through the simple act of being able to have a conversation with one another. Anyone who has ever struggled with the feeling of not being shown affection or attention by a family member, especially a parent, will be able to relate to the narrative at the heart of In the Gloaming, which shows the fact that not every parent-child relationship is built on years of love and connection, but rather some can be quite challenging to understand, but not impossible to embrace, which is why this film feels so profoundly compelling and beautifully simple in both its intentions and execution. The most heartbreaking moments in this story come in those quiet sequences of recognition between mother and son, where they can make a meaningful connection, something that had been missing from their relationship for years, while we may feel moved by the story of quietly making your way towards inevitable death, the most shattering experience is seeing the process of saying goodbye, which is a lengthy process, but one that will never feel complete, since we all know that there is always something left unsaid in these situations.

In the Gloaming is a very simple, remarkably effective film, but if there is any reason to seek it out, it would be for the magnificent performance delivered by Glenn Close. The film markets itself as an ensemble piece, and the rest of the cast is exceptional. However, Close towers above all of them, proving herself to be such a remarkably layered actor, which has come to be seen as an unimpeachable fact in recent years, but was called into question during the period in which this film was made since she was viewed as someone who was always slightly off-centre when it came to the prestige roles, a working actor more than a major figure in Hollywood, despite her radical success over the years. This may not be the pinnacle of her talents, but it was the performance that showed another side to Close, with her quiet resilience and ability to develop a memorable character from essentially the shards of a woman who has become broken after a devastating revelation that shatters the delicate balance of her ordinary but comfortable middle-class life, being amongst her most compelling performances. She is joined by Robert Sean Leonard in what is his best performance as the young man dying of HIV/AIDS – and as someone who defined this era of American cinema (but oddly became far less popular as the years went on), Leonard was certainly in demand. While it is understandable why he would be overtaken by some of his peers, this film showcases his skills, enough to make us wonder which opportunities he missed out on to other actors. David Strathairn and Whoopi Goldberg round out the cast, being reliable and warm presences that help supplement the leading performances by Close and Leonard, being wonderful supporting players in this intricately woven chamber drama that feels like it is positively bursting with life, much more than we may initially have expected based on a cursory glance at the material.

At its most fundamental level, In the Gloaming is not anything particularly special in theory – the screenplay is competent at best, and it often feels like it is rehashing every serious melodrama about familial crisis, or at least using the same narrative beats. It also doesn’t help that every emotion is amplified to be far more melodramatic than it perhaps ought to have been, which creates an overly dense film where a more nuanced one may have been more than sufficient. Additionally, the film runs barely an hour, so there isn’t much space to develop many of these relationships that would have been fostered in a slightly longer feature. However, these are all marginal complaints and do very little to impact our experience of the film as a whole. In the Gloaming is a film about grief and healing, a resounding testament not only to those brave people who fought against an awful disease, but the people who surrounded them, the ones who helped them transition into their inevitable demise, which is never an easy experience. However, there is something so deeply compelling about how this film explores these themes, and while Reeve is not an experienced director, the detail he brings to the smallest moments is truly impressive and helps make In the Gloaming so much more than it appears in theory, which is remarkable. It is not the definitive text on the disease or the culture that surrounded it, but instead, it adds to the overall conversation about living life with HIV/AIDS, speaking about it explicitly and without even an iota of shame. It’s a beautiful, harrowing and stunning work and quite simply one of the most moving depictions of family committed to film in the past few decades.