TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS, THE

In this poignant contemporary drama, a family — struggling for understanding — is torn between love and prejudice.

When Suzanne Stein (Jennifer Beals) finds she is pregnant, her husband Rob (John Tenney), a researcher in foetal genetics, discovers their unborn son has a chromosomal predisposition for homosexuality. The couple is forced to confront the classic philosophical question of nature versus nurture. Will they be able to rear their child to meet their original expectations, or can they accept what his genetic make-up suggests? Neither knows how to react or what to do
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Homosexuality already is a sensitive issue in Suzanne’s family, for her younger brother David (Brendan Fraser) is gay. Her parents, Phyllis (Faye Dunaway) and Walter (Garry Marshall), have dealt with their son’s sexual orientation rather well, but underlying feelings surface when Suzanne tells them about the baby.

As she considers abortion, she remembers the discrimination David faced, and the stresses his homosexuality created in the family. Now, she has a choice her parents never had. But the decision goes beyond Suzanne and her husband, as other family members voice their opinions. Her brother encourages her to have the baby. But her parents reveal that, given the choice, they would have opted for abortion.

David is shattered by their revelation, and severs relations with his mother and father. His lover, Steven, tries to be sympathetic and explains that this attitude always comes out eventually. The overflow of stress carries into Suzanne’s marriage. Rob will not take a stand. Suzanne feels the decision should not have to be hers alone, but should be made jointly, with Rob giving his support. Her husband resents her family’s involvement in their life.

As her due date nears, Suzanne’s many discussions with David lead them both to conclusions. Steven invites Phyllis and Walter to the opening of David’s opera, and they reconcile with their accomplished son. Suzanne, too, must make a choice. She decides in the end to have her son, against her husband’s wishes.

Rob and Suzanne’s marriage ends, destroyed by his non-acceptance. She will raise the child on her own.