Actor
Timothy Hutton's directorial debut is set in rural New Hampshire of the mid-'60s. Divorced motel owner Mrs. Frankovitz (
Cathy Moriarty) has two daughters -- Gwen (
Mary Stuart Masterson), who is preoccupied with various boyfriends, and troubled 10-year-old Harriet (
Evan Rachel Wood). One day Harriet finds a playmate -- retarded Ricky Schroth (
Kevin Bacon) -- after the car driven by his terminally ill mother Leah (Marian Seldes) breaks down while taking him to be institutionalized. When Mrs. Frankovitz dies in an auto accident, Harriet has to take orders from Gwen (revealed to be Harriet's real mother), so Harriet tries to run away from home. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide