In 1982 Steven Spielberg made his phenomenally popular 'family' movie E.T. The Extraterrestrial, which places its young hero in a broken home with real problems. Savant remembers being practically invited to leave the room when I took exception to the film's various messages, the very least of which was the way it manipulates sentiment and inflates the importance of a kid-pet relationship way beyond anything psychologically reasonable for kids to see. My children at the time were too young to see E.T., which caused me no regrets.

This family drama from around the same time is Savant's idea of what families are really like. The Stone Boy is not a children's film, but it is truly honest about human feelings, and certainly does not twist them into a formula to win over a mass audience. The Hillerman family is good, decent and fair; its wildest member is an uncle who lacks a serious commitment to his marriage. They're hardworking midwestern people of the kind that figure deeply in Savant's personal heritage yet don't show up on screen very much. They care deeply about each other but don't commonly express their emotions, especially the men. Joe Hillerman cannot articulate the depth of his feelings and doesn't want to injure Arnold by showing his inner rage, but he can't help it.

The Stone Boy is Arnold's story and we experience his emotions subjectively. He retreats from the awfulness of the accident into silence, looking away from his parents' stares. They wait for a reaction from him, just the thing Arnold can't muster; each retreats into a private space. Arnold's mother is good and loving, but even she sends him away when he comes down the first night, a crucial mistake she immediately regrets. His father stands accusing and disapproving no matter what face he happens to be wearing at any given time, a pressure that for Arnold is unbearable.

Gina Berriault's screenplay is from her own story, which was filmed once for CBS TV in 1960 starring Luke Halpin. Her focus wisely remains on Arnold's emotional isolation and not on assigning responsibility. There's only one scene where a sheriff asks harsh questions to see if the shooting was truly accidental.

This is indeed a sober story but it needs to be stressed that The Stone Boy is no downer. Jason Presson is a marvel, and the actors around him make a fine ensemble of believable family members. The tone of Christopher Cain's direction is so engaging that we don't question why a manhunt isn't called out when a 12 year-old takes off across the state on his own. There's a very simple scene on a bus with Presson and Linda Hamilton of Terminator fame. If it doesn't reach you emotionally, nothing will. Savant strongly recommends The Stone Boy as a rental, at the very least.

Anchor Bay's DVD of The Stone Boy comes in a fine enhanced widescreen transfer. The one extra is a trailer that tries but fails to translate the film's delicate theme into commercial terms.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Stone Boy rates:
Movie: Excellent
Video: Excellent
Sound: Very Good
Supplements: trailer
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: May 24, 2005