drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
directed by
Robert Markowitz
Robert Markowitz (born February 7, 1935, in Irvington, New Jersey) is an American film and television director. He directed episodes of ''Serpico'' (1976), '' Delvecchio'' (1976-1977), and ''Amazing Stories'' (1986), and a number of television ...
and written by Christine Berardo. A co-production between Italy and the United States, it stars
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...
and Alan Bates as an American couple who, after their son was mortally wounded during a family vacation in Italy, decide to
donate
A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as ...
the child's organs. The film received positive reviews and earned Curtis a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance.
Plot
Fact based drama about an American couple on vacation in Italy in 1994 with their two children who are attacked and shot by highway bandits. Shortly they discover that their son (named and based on Nicholas Green) is brain dead. The parents are then faced with the hard decision to donate the boy's organs which ultimately led to saving the lives of seven seriously ill Italian patients.
Cast
*
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...
Hallie Eisenberg
Hallie Kate Eisenberg (born August 2, 1992) is an American former child actress, best known for being "The Pepsi Girl" in a series of Pepsi commercials, as Marie Alweather in ''Paulie'', and her role as Erika Tansy in '' How to Eat Fried Worms''. ...
as Eleanor Green
*
Isabella Ferrari
Isabella Ferrari (born 31 March 1964), better known by her stage name of Isabella Fogliazza, is an Italian actress of television, theatre and the cinema. She is best known as the protagonist, ''Commissioner Giovanna Scalise'' in the police dram ...
as Alessandra Grascia
* Anita Zagaria as Anna Bianchi
*
Roberto Bisacco
Roberto Bisacco (1 March 1939 – 10 October 2022)Ennio Coltorti as Dr. Santucci
* Nazzareno Costantini as Angelo Bianchi
* Manrico Gammarota as Paolo Bianchi
* Daniele Pio as Stefano Bianchi
* Carlo Cartier as Inspector Tramontana
* Jeremy Zimmermann as Richard Brown
Reception
Critical response
Tom Jicha of the '' Sun-Sentinel'' was very positive about the film, describing it as "a wonderfully poignant movie that conveys an important message worthy of the widest possible circulation." In his review for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', Rick Lyman wrote that "a veteran cast pushing a commendable message is not quite enough to elevate ''Nicholas' Gift'' above being a by-the-numbers tear-jerker." The '' Deseret News'' praised the film for "superb performances by Jamie Lee Curtis and Alan Bates, tight steering by an award-winning director, an Italian crew schooled in feature film making, an intelligent script based on a riveting real-life story, and an almost religious commitment from everyone involved in the project to make a film worthy of its subjects."