In from the Night

This is definitely not a lighthearted show. It's a drama about the damaging effects of abuse and neglect. The long-term consequences of Grandpa's lousy parenting. And the consequences of custody courts favoring biological parents' wishes over the safety of the child. A single aunt finds herself becoming an unofficial mother to her teenage nephew, and they have a long struggle in helping him recover from the psychological damage inflicted by his parents.

Sometimes the effects of a dysfunctional family do not appear until a situation comes to light. "In From the Night" brings that awareness to Vicki through her nephew Bobby. In helping him change his life she becomes aware of things in her own life that she has tried to deal with. This is a very emotional story.

In dealing with these tough subjects of abuse and mental illness in a dysfunctional family, Hallmark has presented a very heartwarming film, one that shows sometimes it takes others in need to help in the process of healing our own wounds. Because of the subject content and some of the abuse flashbacks I recommend it for twelve and above. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 4/7/2021.

Marcia Gay Harden plays Vicki, a woman who has cut herself off from her dysfunctional family in order to write. One night, she gets a very unexpected visit from her 16-year-old nephew Bobby (Taylor Handley). He looks tired, hungry, and depressed. So begins the journey of Vicki and Bobby.

I didn't think that I was going to like this movie. It seemed like just another boring Hallmark movie. However, after not being able to get the previews out of my head, I realized I needed to watch this movie. So I did. I was most pleasantly surprised.

Both Marcia Gay Harden and Taylor Handley are perfect for their roles. The transformations of the two, especially Bobby's, are timeless. It's a very sweet story of two people trying to find themselves.

Props to the cast. The acting was superb. I really enjoyed this movie (I'm glad I taped it so I can watch it again!).

I give it 9 out of 10 (I took off because I believe that some of the characters needed more screen time, i.e. Thomas Gibson's character).

Hallmark Hall of Fame movies are usually not romance movies. But it seems like all of them have to have a little side story where the main character flirts with a romantic interest. I don't know why. In this case it really seemed foreign to the rest of the story, but I guess it was a glimpse of what she gave up for Bobby.

This is a hard story. From the moment Bobby walked into Vicki's house, I thought it was obvious that this was a badly abused kid. Vicki knew there were problems with her brother's family, but didn't seem to see how deep Bobby's scars were. It takes a while, and solving several preliminary issues, before she gets to that. And that's pretty much how this story goes. Wading through one issue after another until we reach the expected end.

I don't recommend this for children and even tweens and teens probably need to have their parents watch with them. There are some definite rough spots portrayed.

It's Hall of Fame so the acting, at least for principle characters, is good. The script is good.

Another one that I missed many years ago. Watched it on Hallmark Drama 2/3/2020. What a wonderful and inspiring movie. The acting is superb. The chemistry between Vicki and Bobby is amazing. The portrayal of the disfunction in the family is totally on-point. Denial, blame, lack of affection - it's all there. Marcia Gay Harden is magnificent in this role. You feel her pain. You feel her love. AND you see her change. Same with Bobby (Tyler Handley). I DVRd it - and didn't delete it - will watch it again. Highly recommend...