Andre's Mother Play Analysis

Chelsea Overton Brian Reeves English 1302 18 April 2012

Prevalence

After reading "Andre's Mother" by terrance McNally, I figured watching the film would be as unexciting, but Deborah Reinisch underestimated my intial impression of the film. She visualized the play so successfully that I became astonished by how unfortunate and altering the story truly is. "Andre's Mother" is about an aspiring actor Andre, and his lover, Cal, who live in New York and are visited by Andre's mother who is from Texas. During her visit, Cal makes all the effort to befriend Andre's mother with a positive gratitude, even though she is in denial and does not approve of her son's
relationship and lifestyle. Seeing Andre's mother so often troubled, Andre's grandmother blatanly speaks to Andre's mother about Andre's life to get her to atleast understand the other side.
One night, Andre's mother gets a call from Cal telling her Andre is dead. She was unaware of his illness until Cal tells her at the hospital that he had been bravely fighting against AIDS. Reinisch's film "Andre's Mother," was overall a good expression of the play, because she incoporated feeling of sadness through lighting, music, characters tone and language choice, and reveals mother's thoughts and feelings during her son's funeral. The actors in "Andre's Mother" did a very good job at protraying their key roles. Richard Venture and Haviland Morris did an excelent job plaing Cal's father and joyful sister, Penny. Sada Thomson's also did a good job as playing Andre's distant and indenial mother. Throughout the film her eyes seemed to stare into a deep abyss, but when anything relative to Andre's lifestyle was brought up, she seemed very impulsive or angry and quickly tried to ignore the subject. But the role of Cal played by Richard Thomas was the most oustanding. His passion for writing and for Andre were truly expressed through his estatic tone and tough efforts to help Andre's mother see right in Andre's lifestyle. He ends the movie with a dramatic
moment opening up to Andre's mother. He exceeded the role of Cal in the play when he pours out his emotions of Kathy and Andre, making his character believeable because he had the courage to open up to someone who does not seem to want to understand. Deborah Reinisch did a good job at showing how each character feels by switching the camera between people while they spoke and were being spoken to. For example, the camera would follow Andre's mother around when she would pace the hospital room while her mother was trying to help her cope with Andre's choices. They were also set up where every single person could have a perfect view of the other, as well as the viewers being able to see each character during important dialouge. Reinisch also did a good job at transitioning to Andre's mother's flashbacks. At first it was somewhat confusing, but then I realized there were certain names and words being said at the service that took her back to these memories. Throughout the movie the music was mostly classical strings piano and sometimes a woman would sing opera. The music was sometimes upbeat or slow, however the notes and tones of the instruments and vocals always sent a feeling of grief, which added to the sorrow each character was feeling. The lighting in every seen seemed very low, unless the source was natural. The soft lighting added drama, because one small source of light was enough to see the characters faces in the dark. The film exceeds the play, because it show Andre's mother having flashbacks during her son's funeral, revealing why she remained so silent during the ceremony. The movie also addressed a major symbol from the play which was balloos. Just like in the end of the play, everyone in the movie goes outside to release their balloons in the air which symbolizes the main theme: in order to accept, you first have to let go. When Penny lets her balloon go she comments on how fast it flew up into the air and exclaims "I think it means something terrific!" Seeing Penny's liveliness throughout the funeral helps add positive light to the sad film, which is what Andre's mother needed in order to see past her disapproval. I suggest this movie over the play, because it is mainly about Andre's mother, whose emotions and throughs are revealed. Andre's mother and Cal's roles added suspense and drama, which not only kept me intriguied, but also touched me. I think everyone should see this film mostly because of how the theme is protrayed and to be more aware of sexual conception.