The movie is based on a true story, the murder of Allen Schindler, a United States Navy sailor who was killed for being gay.

The movie is told from Hajdys' point of view and based partly on official Navy documents, and the sworn statements of Terry M. Helvey and Charles E. Vins.

[1] The Christian Science Monitor said that Bonnie Bedelia gave a strong performance, and she "is the best thing about this fact-based drama, which places more emphasis on weeping than solutions".

[4] Los Angeles Times review of the film stated, "the film does not tread lightly on Naval sensitivities, painting a stark picture of official obfuscation and secrecy...Bedelia gives a fine-tuned, understated performance as Hajdys' loss becomes part of the public discourse on both the military's then-ban on gays, and on societal attitudes that some take for tacit approval of the dehumanizing mistreatment of homosexuals".

[6] Historian Stephen Tropiano said in his book The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV, it was a "powerful made-for-TV movie" and featured a "terrific performance from Bedelia as Schindler's mother".