Promises in the Dark

A teenage girl is treated for a leg injury, but it's soon discovered she has an aggressive form of cancer, which begins taking its toll--physically and emotionally--on the victim, her family, and the female doctor who forms a bond with the youngster. Kathleen Beller plays the unfortunate girl with a mix of belligerence and brashness that is, quite simply, off-putting; her straight-forward cynicism is certainly convincing, and it may be exactly how many cancer patients react when they discover there's very little time left, but it makes for a strident central character who doesn't do much to involve the audience. However, as the doctor, Marsha Mason just about saves the day with a wonderfully natural, sensitive and grounded performance. Given great dialogue by screenwriter Loring Mandel, Mason is able to revel in telling dramatic scenes that evoke whole lives (such as when she talks about her ex-husband, a movie-junkie who could sit through a double feature and then come home and watch television). Mason never sermonizes or stands on a soap-box, she is a caring professional who becomes a close friend (and may have become a mentor) to this girl. The film is occasionally pedestrian or heavy-handed--particularly when focusing on Beller--and that woeful title didn't help it at the box-office. Yet it is strengthened considerably by Mason, one of the finest actresses of the 1970s. **1/2 from ****