Behind the more sensational political subject of the film lies the quieter sub-plot of a father's love for his dead son. With the glut of movies dealing with a mother's weepy love for her children one might assume that women are the only parents that love their children or that hysterical tears are the only way to express love for one's child. In this case, that father, Michael, is told a dozen ways he should feel and another dozen ways he should act in order to take care of his family with no one wondering or caring what Michael feels or needs. Michael's explanation of his feelings to his wife near the end of the film manages to break the viewer's heart without sobbing hysterically. To his wife's credit, she opens her eyes, stops her whining, and finally thinks about her husband's feeling before her own.
