Customer Reviews

TRAGEDY aka "Surviving" aka "Surviving: A Family in Crisis"

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For some reason, the video issuers retitled this movie. It was called "Surviving" when it aired on ABC-TV. And the description is wrong--the teen male is played by Zach Galligan , not River Phoenix (he plays Molly Ringwald's younger brother and he was NOT 15 years old).
I don't know why this isn't on DVD, especially with its top notch cast! Ellen Burstyn, Marsha Mason, Paul Sorvino--they all shine!

The impact of watching this many years ago was so powerful, I believe anyone would think twice about suicide with this movie in mind.
Awesome Cast, Outstanding performance.
Hard hitting and life saving for some.

I was a teenager when this made for TV movie first came out, and I recall the tremendous impact that this particular movie made when it debuted. Based on the lives of two troubled teens who make a suicide pact and eventually follow through, the best thing about this movie is that unlike many "teen" movies, it doesn't just focus on the usual teenage angst. It treats the topic of teen suicide with compassion not only for its troubled protagonists (Molly Ringwald and River Phoenix) but also on the surviving family members as they struggle to come to terms with the unspeakable tragic act that binds their families together.
It portrays teen suicide not as a viable "way out" of emotional crises, but as a true tragedy for those left behind with nothing but questions, questions and more questions. The guilt and anger left in the aftermath as experienced by two separate families is both heart rending and true to life. Above all, this movie does not "romanticise" teen suicide, or suicide as an end to suffering, but portrays the emotional wreckage left in the aftermath of such an act. Recommended viewing for families of troubled teens as well as teens themselves. A 5 star portrayal of a sensitive, but still timely subject.