`Any Mother's Son' Captures Many Emotions

----------------------------------------------------------------- "Any Mother's Son" 9 p.m. Monday, Lifetime. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Catch a glimpse of the title and you're tempted to write off this Lifetime production as just another sociopath-of-the-week movie.

Hold it! This time you're in for a compelling surprise. Bonnie Bedelia turns in an unvarnished portrayal of Dorothy Hajdys, whose son, Allen Schindler, was beaten to death in Sasebo, Japan, in 1992, by two U.S. Navy shipmates, simply because he was gay.

While there's no mystery ensconced in this emotional windstorm, there are enough twists and turns to keep you riveted throughout.

Trust, deceit, grit, confusion and determination are just a few of the key ingredients on the menu, as Hajdys' naivete surfaced on two fronts - denial that her son could be gay, and believing everything the Navy told her about his death and the progression of judicial proceedings.

One sailor confessed to the crime and implicated another. But, sensing its image would be tarnished, the Navy quickly positioned itself to quiet potential rumors in the mainstream media and offer Hajdys little insight.

Discounted information

After learning from a Pacific Stars and Stripes (military newspaper) reporter that the Navy was investigating her son's murder as a "gay bashing" and being questioned if she knew he was homosexual, Hajdys recalls a conversation she had with him a couple of years earlier when he said that he thought he liked men. At the time, she discounted it totally.

"I never met one (homosexual). I hope I never do," she says. "They scare me . . . He went to church. He's OK."

At a recent press conference in Pasadena, Calif., for television critics, Hajdys told how her story became a journey of personal awakening. "I had this fear for gays," she said. "I didn't believe Allen was gay. I believed that all gays had to be weirdos. That the only thing I really knew about was the stereotype (as portrayed on television) that they're up in a dress or have their finger up in the air or their hand on their hip. And I knew Allen was nothing like that.

". . . The biggest reason I wanted the movie made was because I wanted people to understand how hard it was for me to come to grips that Allen really was gay, and to realize that gays aren't these weirdos that you see. They are very loving and caring people. And for people to realize that Allen could have been any mother's son."

Probing the Navy for answers, Hajdys is continually rebuffed by a legal officer assigned to the case, who promises to keep her informed about upcoming hearings.

Meanwhile, the national media presses on, searching for answers. Many camp out in front of her home, in a small town near Chicago, hoping to glean precious quotes or new insight into the swirling drama.

Family discord

And to make matters worse, her husband's ex-cousin Doris (Fiona Reed), feeling "rumors" are tarnishing the family's good name, makes no attempt to conceal her homophobia. In the process, she clashes several times with Hajdys' spirited daughter Kathy (Hedy Burress), who seeks to protect her dead brother's reputation.

Eventually, Hajdys begins to accept Allen's homosexuality and along with Kathy attends a memorial service in San Diego, organized by several of Allen's gay friends. Initially edgy in their midst, she gradually assumed a comfort zone as they recollected their admiration for Allen.

As her prejudices for gays began to dissipate, her distrust of the Navy grew, when she learned Allen had complained to division commanders about harassment he received, but nothing was done.

To make matters worse, Chicago Tribune reporter Peggy Evans (Mimi Kuzyk) informs Hajdys that three weeks after her son's murder, a secret Navy court martial was held where one of his two attackers, Charles Vins, was found guilty and served a sentence of only 78 days.

Again, the Navy attempts to justify its actions and promises to keep her updated on future court action involving the other attacker, Terry Helvey. Once more, she discovers another judicial hearing was held privately without her knowledge.

That ultimately did it. Hajdys began giving interviews and traveled to the Pentagon to confront top Navy personnel. Gradually, the case became a feeding frenzy for the media and a total embarrassment to the Navy.

Seeking to bring closure to her son's death, Hajdys attended Helvey's sentencing in Japan, where she told the court of her son's love for the Navy and how that branch attempted to cover up many details surrounding the murder, simply to save face.

". . . The movie," said Hajdys, "is not an indictment of the Navy. It's an indictment on this one incident. A tragedy."

Helvey, a victim of child abuse, was found guilty of Schindler's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, although he's eligible for parole in 2002.

Afterward, Hajdys is granted an emotional one-on-one meeting with Helvey, where she asks him, "What did he ever do to you?" His succinct reply, "Nothing."

Hajdys is attempting to get 1 million signatures on a petition protesting any possibility of his release.

Hajdys is attempting to get 1 million signatures on a petition protesting any possibility of his release.

Playing Hajdys, added Bedelia, 45, was a stern challenge. "After work, I went back to the hotel, had a bowl of soup and crashed," she recalled. "There was no other way to do it other than staying with it the whole way through.

"It's very rough to shoot something like this in 18 days." Bedelia's most noted for her role as the wife of Bruce Willis in the first two "Die Hard" films and playing race-car driver Shirley Muldowney in "Heart Like a Wheel."