Review

Vanessa Redgrave won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress (Drama or Miniseries) for her performance in the first part of this terrific film.

This sequel to the 1996 original is just as powerful, poignant and hard-hitting. Where the original Walls dealt with three women each struggling with unwanted pregnancy, the sequel takes a private look at the lives of three lesbian couples during three very different time periods in America: the 60s, 70s and the new millennium. The common link is the house of the title: they all occupy it at one time or another.

1961 features Seldes and an astonishing (and sure-fire award nominee) Redgrave as an older lesbian couple. When Seldes dies of a stroke, Redgrave is forced to grieve in silence, as her 50-year relationship with Seldes is regarded in the typical-for-the-times manner of "the love that dare not speak its name." As she is not "family" in the traditional sense, Redgrave is forced to endure the humiliation of Seldes' only family coming to claim the house and its contents for themselves. It's a portrait of silent suffering, loss of dignity and love that sears the conscience and left this reviewer nearly speechless. In addition to Redgraves' win, director Jane Anderson's script was nominated for an Emmy (Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie).

1972 confronts peer pressure and sexual identity as Williams (betraying her "Dawson's Creek" role with a strong performance here) finds herself intrigued by - and eventually attracted to - the "butch" Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry), much to the chagrin of her coed friends she now occupies the house with. While a little on the teen-drama side of things, the heat between Sevigny and Williams is palpable, and they do make a terrific couple.

In 2000, the house is now occupied by lovers DeGeneres (who also executive produced the film) and Stone. Deeply in love, the only thing missing from their idyllic life is a child of their own. Making her directorial debut, Heche conveys the couple's frustrations and hopes (with sperm donors, adoption agencies, etc.) in a manner sure to hit close to home for anyone who has faced the same trials. Problem is, DeGeneres' line delivery is so over the top (wait until the scene in the kitchen where she tearfully bemoans the fact that she's "angry" that she doesn't have sperm of her own with which to impregnate Stone) that it nearly undermines her credibility. That and the fact that Stone is now sporting Heche's cropped blonde shag - it's like The Stepford Lesbians. The whole film is also very "white", in all senses of the word.

Originally made for HBO, this trilogy of love, struggle and empowerment was one of the year's highest-rated and most talked about films, and is a must-see if only for Redgrave's devastating performance.

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