A friend of mine recently moved into a newly purchased condo. Knowing I love to read almost as much as I love movies, she invited me over to give me a few of her treasures. I told her my bookcase and DVD tower were past full, but I went home that afternoon with a big plastic tub that she gleefully provided, full of good stuff. After telling her that I would keep some of it, give some to friends, and donate the rest to the library, I realized she more than likely just wanted this “gift” out of her new space.
I am so glad I said yes to the gift, as I popped one of the treasure items into my DVD (yes, I still have a DVD built into both of my TV’s). From the moment this film started, the weaving began. Not one Slam Bam in the film—just a beautiful true story, amazingly crafted and brilliantly acted.
Behind the Mask is the true story of Dr. Robert Shushan, a man passionate about helping others. He founded a non-profit that employs the otherwise unemployable. He chases grants and hunts down contracts and mostly abandons his family for his dream.
One day in his rush to a meeting he has a heart attack in the parking lot of the business. He slams his car into the building and the last thing he remembers is being saved by the janitor. This starts a much-unexpected chain of events. The Doctor has a new friend that at first blush appears unwanted. As the friendship develops they both find they have a huge hole in their life that, at least for now, propels them in a direction neither expected.
Dr. Shushan is brilliantly portrayed by Donald Sutherland. It had been quite a while since I had seen one of his movies and I had forgotten just how well he crafts a character. When this was filmed in 1999, Mathew Fox was playing in Party of Five. His character, James Jones, was complex and challenging but somehow, with a little coaching from Sutherland the transformation blossoms. Brian Shushan is played by Bradley Whitford who definitely holds his own. Rounding out the cast is Mary McDonald who never loses faith in her husband, Robert.
In this film, an unlikely hero is made and a rare friendship born that proves to be life-altering for them both. I loved it but it took me a while to learn that it was originally made for TV by Bravo so it’s not rated.
The writer is Gregory Goodell, who won an Academy Award for Rain Man. This little jewel was highly acclaimed but modestly distributed, yet it is worth the effort to find and watch. As always I would love to read your comments at Carolyn@carolynhastings.com.
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