Promises in the Dark

Alexandra Kendall is a young doctor. After a personal disappointment she changes cities. She leaves Chicago and comes to Connecticut. There she joins a medical practice. Her partner is a doctor near retirement. One day a patient called Buffy comes in. The girl is seventeen and still at school. She hurt her leg while playing on a field. The examination shows a break. But what weakened the bone is cancer. The course of treatment begins. A closeness forms between doctor and patient. The girl’s family and her boyfriend are drawn in as well. The doctor is drawn to the girl’s humour and her plain honesty. Marsha Mason and Kathleen Beller take the leads, with Ned Beatty also in the cast, in Jerome Hellman’s American film of 1979.