Inspirational tale set in the late 1940s involving an elderly blind woman with a unique collection of bells in her home and a dyslexic 12-year-old boy who form an offbeat friendship to help each other overcome a disability.
Acting
Della Reese radiates warmth that feels almost illegal.
Production
Every bell has personality—production design working overtime.
Writing
Dyslexia portrayed with actual nuance for 1999.
Director
Tom McLoughlin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Tom McLoughlin cast his own wife Nancy as Lila, keeping this firmly in the 'family affair' category of TV movies.
Released during the late-90s wave of 'inspirational disability' TV films, but notably avoids the 'magical cure' trope—both characters still live with their conditions at the end.
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