I saw this movie in 1976 while I was pregnant with my son. I thought I would never stop crying....(actually I haven't) but I remember if I had a girl I was going to name her Miranda...his name is Matthew so that never happened but it made an impact on me. I am going to get if for my 21 year old daughter to watch since she has a one year old now. My daughter was on her way to have an abortion, but did not do it. She decided to keep her child even though there would be a lot of difficulty since her father and I are divorced and I live in another state now. She has not been diagnosed with a terminal illness however leaving a recorded message to our daughters is not a bad idea. As we grow and age and times change basically we all have the same human behaviors and feelings of those who have gone before us, the fears and rejection. There is no greater rejection than abortion even though it is a woman's right to choose.

I enjoyed this film an afternoon in 1979. Here in Chile was called "Mensaje a mi hija" (a simple translate from the original title). The audio was Latin-Spanish (dubbing in Mexico). First, I called my attention the transfer from record reel to the "brandnew" cassette (the mp3player from yesterday). I never forget the incredible communication that the died mother has with her daughter via tapes recorders. At the end, another unforgettable scene: she called by telephone to her stepfather, and say him "papá me puedes enviar dinero estoy en bancarrota" ( Dad, may you send me money, I have't any dollar). Yes, this American film is this kind of movies that its owner is the world. Very beautiful film, I never couldn't see again, but i can remember every scene.

i've read all of the other reviews but no one mentions martin sheen . i saw this film by chance. it must have been a rebroadcast in 1975 or 1976. and i have never forgotten the magnificent, underplayed performance by martin sheen, exhibiting the quiet strength that is so characteristic of much of his later work. it made me a lifelong fan. and yes, bonnie bedelia was also wonderful (although frankly, until i read the other reviews, i had not remembered it was her, this being so early in her career). a powerful film, that says so much about how little we sometimes know about the people we are closest to, until something surprises us (noting the daughter's comment near the end of the film, speaking of her father).

This is a movie ahead of its time in its portrayal of a troubled young woman who decides not to have an abortion. In her tapes to her daughter, she is real, angry at times, hostile to her own parents. When I saw it years ago on TV I remember a different soundtrack, a John Denver one, with "sunshine on my shoulder" being the theme. I must have mixed up movies. The movie itself left a lasting impression on me, as my mother had died two years before. I bought it the other day. It is dated and rather choppy now. The daughter's character is not fully explored but the mother's is. A good double hanky number.