When I read of actress Sada Thompson's death in February 2011 I was disappointed that her obituary in the New York Times didn't mention her performance in the TV movie Andre's Mother which she starred in with Richard Thomas and Sylvia Sidney (gay playwright Terrence McNally won an Emmy for its screenplay). It aired on PBS stations the night of March 7, 1990. In the movie Thompson portrayed a rigid, grieving mother dealing with her son Andre's death from AIDS.
The storyline focused on her angry reaction to his partner's attempts at reaching out to her (played by Thomas). Sidney played her mother, Andre's understanding grandmother. Interestingly, Sidney had a similar role in the 1985 TV movie An Early Frost. The movie has a lovely ending in which friends of Andre gather in Central Park and pay tribute to his life by letting go of white colored balloons - including his mother.
I was on a date the night of the movie and we watched it together up in his penthouse apartment at 45 Christopher St. He was in the middle of some drama with his Parisian ex and that ultimately was the reason nothing futher developed between us. Nonetheless it was enjoyable watching the movie with him on that night.
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