Without a Trace (1983)

One of the best lines as Kate Nelligan portrays Susan Selky, a professor in NYC whose son has been abducted, and possibly murdered.Nelligan is outstanding as a frustrated and angry mother whose son one day simply disappears after she sees him off on the school bus.There are a few surprises here. Judd Hirsch is very good as Detective Minetti, although the story does go off tangent a bit with his family life. David Dukes portrays her estranged husband, who is initially suspected of abducting his own son.Stockard Channing also has a small part as Selky's friend. When she attempts to talk Susan into the platitude : ..."picking up your bootstraps and move on"..., Susan (Nelligan) becomes enraged, telling her she cannot have a clue as to how this feels. A very powerful scene, and relevant to anyone who has experienced a horrible loss, and doesn't know how to cope.Overall this is a good film with a few tangents, but well worth a view. 8/10.

Kate Nelligan, always a forthright and gripping actress, gets to show many different sides as a single mother in New York City whose little boy disappears one day while walking a short distance to school; she clashes with authorities and friends, but is convinced her child has been kidnapped and is still alive. These type of human dramas are all pretty much the same, but if the extremities pull you in, they are undeniably absorbing. There's a horribly facetious sub-plot about a homosexual suspect (who seems to be rendered guilty by virtue of his fetishes), but Nelligan gives the familiar theme her class and ladylike vigor, making it fresher than most, and she's helped by other good actors like Judd Hirsch, Stockard Channing and David Dukes. The film is ultimately hurt by its clichés (especially when dealing second-handedly with police lieutenant Hirsch's family life); and as for the climax, it'll either strike you as very emotional or incredibly hokey and over-the-top. ** from ****

It's surprising that so few films have been made about what surely has to be the most excruciating experience that any human being can go through: the disappearance of one's child. The only two movies that I have seen on this subject are the TV-movie Adam, which is excellent and unbearably painful, and this film, which is also excellent but… well, the ending does seem to be a copout. I suppose there are actually crazy old people who abduct kids to have them as sort of house slaves – at least I'll assume that's so for this movie's sake. But I think the film does a disservice to the unfortunate thousands of parents who don't ever see their kids again. Some parents eventually find out the tragic fate of their children who had died under torture by deviants of the lowest order, and some parents just never find out anything. There are those who say that the latter (not ever knowing) is worse. The fact is, this film is so powerfully acted - particularly by Kate Nelligan – that we feel every depth of her despair, and we find it almost as unbearable as she does. Had the film had an ambiguous ending with her just never knowing what had happened to her son, it would have been an extremely unpleasant experience, but it would have been better to allow the audience to experience something more honest and realistic. It would actually be more healing for them. People need to share that sort experience with others, not just go home with a satisfied smile saying, "ahh, at least I can sleep tonight – all is well". I want to know and feel what the mothers of disappeared children really go through. At least the film does give most of its length to that experience, so I'm grateful at for that. I also like the fact that the mother-son relationship is honestly portrayed, instead of it being the kind of 'perfect child' and 'perfect mother' characterizations that movies such as this usually try to shove down our throats. Overall, this is a superbly acted, gut-wrenching, and suspenseful, intelligent drama that does deserve at least a fair amount of respect for the honest emotions it displays. I just wish it had the courage to be the catharsis that our society needs to get through the real traumas in our lives that don't have happy endings.

I have to agree with an earlier comment; where is the DVD for this movie??? I for one would certainly purchase the DVD, and actually maybe a couple for keepsake. I came onto this site at 4:45 am to find out how I could purchase this movie again. Let me just advise you that I noticed this movie came on about 1:30am and even having to be at work by 8am this morning I still stayed awake to watch this movie. I am a movie buff, there are "tons" of movies I love but this movie tops them all. The only thing I am sorry about is that I did know this movie was based on a true story and by reading some of the posts in here I found that the true story did not have a happy ending like the movie. When I read that the little boy, Etan, was never found I felt like I swallowed my heart and I kind of feel like, we the viewers who love this movie, are we selling the real family short by enjoying a movie that is not the actual story? I could never tear myself away from watching/wanting this movie but I do feel bad for the real family. I have seen this movie so many times that it doesn't take me until the ending to cry. I think I start to "churn" at the point that Judd and "his son" get into the car on their way because I know what is about to happen, and yes I cry every single time, doesn't matter how many times I have (and will) see this movie. I am studying criminal justice and this movie has me wondering if maybe I should just go into a field of dealing with missing children, but I don't know if I could handle the disappointment because I am almost certain that the outcome of a high percentage of cases is that of a depressing ending. Okay, so I have babbled enough, I just had to put my "two cents" in on how much I LOVE THIS MOVIE TOO. If anyone ever gets any additional information on this movie being available on DVD please don't hesitate to email me and inform me of that. ([email protected])