Circle of Violence: A Family Drama

Tuesday Weld is my favourite actress and this her best picture other than Once Upon A Time In America which was also very superb! This picture takes its place as a divorced hard-working mother whose mother lives with her and her two children. She has a very hard time adjusting to being on her own and she takes out all of her problems by punching the mother in the face in one scene. Her son is addicted to heroin and is played greatly by River Phoenix. But Tuesday finally solves her problems by consulting her ex-husband's psychiatrist and she resolves her problems with her mother, children and even herself. She must now come to terms with her inner demons. 10/10

not often shown on TV, but worth purchasing on DVD. Tuesday Weld portrays a harried, divorced mother, who is also a caretaker for her aging mother. Her cantankerous mother is well portrayed by veteran actress Geraldine Fitzgerald.

Weld finds herself losing her patience, trying to work and take care of her son, and also deal with her mother's medical and emotional needs. This is a real issue in today's families, with exorbitant medical care in the U.S. forcing people to care for their elderly and infirm parents, who sometimes require 24 hour supervision.

I have noticed this topic is not often addressed, and this is one of the few films showing the stark realities, the difficult choices, and the strain on the family. There was also a film "Dad" which starred Ted Danson and Jack Lemmon, addressing this issue from the son's viewpoint. A difficult subject, but well-presented in both films. 9/10

There is a scene in "Circle of Violence" in which Tuesday Weld in a therapy session, recalls her childhood and the problematic relationship with her mother. For the duration of the monologue one forgets that is in fact just another, albeit slightly superior television movie. It's simply superb acting. Unlike many so called good actresses, one never has the sense that Weld is acting. She possesses a naturalness which prevents her from making a false move. Hers is not a showy talent. It's the true artist focusing on the work with the utmost integrity. While she reputedly turned down a number of plum roles, which certainly did little to further her career, Hollywood never quite acknowledged this talent which was to find an outlet in a number of often mediocre television movies from the late 70's through the 80's. It's Weld at her prime turning in one excellent performance after another.

While child abuse has become one of the hot topics of our times, abuse of adults towards their ageing parents (apparently more common that one might want to believe), has remained firmly in the closet. "Circle of Violence" is one of the few films to explicitly deal with this disturbing subject. Alongside Weld, Geraldine Fitzgerald is exceptional as her ageing mother. River Phoenix plays Weld's son in what was to be the last of his television performances.

As with many of Tuesday Weld's films it's a case of swallowing the bitter with the sweet. One has to put up with hardly credible happy endings such as the pat reconciliation offered to us; routine cinematography and low production values. Weld, seemingly oblivious to these heavily stacked odds makes it all worthwhile.