A Call to Remember

The specter of the Nazi holocaust torments a Jewish-American family whose mother must come to terms with her concentration-camp experiences. The premise could have inspired the sort of small-scope story that cable-TV movies can do particularly well, but — no doubt trying to cram in as much as possible before the first commercial break — A Call to Remember too neatly maps out the conflict between children and overprotective mother in the first 15 minutes. Impassioned performances by Danner and Mantegna as the parents produce some highly charged scenes, but the ongoing discussions of mourning and guilt ultimately offer less drama than sociology. C+