It is refreshing to watch an actress finally get the dramatic role she deserves, instead of just playing eye candy in banal films that are forgettable.

There is a true story here, and Paul LeMat portrays the abusive and manipulative husband. This film does not sugar-coat domestic violence, and the verbal, psychological and physical damage done to this woman is unconscionable.

The audience is also made aware of the in-laws, and their denial (well-portrayed by Grace Zabriskie, as Fawcett's mother-in-law.) The children as victims of this unstable environment are affecting and tragic.

Overall an excellent film one may want to view with a friend caught up in such a horrible situation. NO woman should ever tolerate this treatment from ANY man. Domestic violence is still an issue in our "civilized" society, unfortunately, and needs to be recognized. 8/10.

This was one of the first TV movies to deal with the serious subject of domestic abuse, which is still an ongoing problem.

Farrah Fawcett proves that she is much more than a pretty face with sparkling white teeth as Francine Hughes, a young woman who falls for a slightly older high school dropout, Mickey (Paul Le Mat),but after she marries him, discovers that he has some major anger issues, and, finding herself trapped in a nightmare of horrible mistreatment, seeks help, but her family and in-laws (whose bizarre denial almost calls for straight-jackets),basically tell her to stay put. On top of this, social services seems all too willing to look the other way.

Francine tries to make the best of her situation, she finds herself drawn back to him, and even after she manages to obtain a divorce, Mickey is still able to insinuate himself into her life, insisting that they need to be a family. No matter how many times she leaves him, or attempts to escape, he is always right on her heels, and uses their children as leverage in order to coerce her into reconciling with him. Even when law enforcement intervenes, it does not deter him. Mickey blames his behavior on his drinking, inability to hold down a job, and on Francine, and, like many abusive spouses, does everything and anything he can to rob her of her independence and sense of self-worth. He feels threatened when she even looks at other men, wears revealing clothing, and attempts to further her education. When he is severely injured in an auto accident, he is not above manipulating the situation to his advantage. Finally, Francine snaps. She douses the bedroom with gasoline as he lies in a drunken sleep, and lights a match, fleeing in her automobile with her offspring.

It then must be determined if she committed premeditated murder, or if she was temporarily unhinged.

The jury's verdict is in favor of the defense, and as people file out of the courtroom, Francine cuddles her children around her . . . . . .

People who have not experienced domestic violence themselves or studied this crime may not be sympathetic or understanding toward what these victims experience. There is indeed a string of victims, not just the abused partner in question but also the children. Ignorant individuals sometimes blame or second-guess the victims, typical questions, "Why didn't she leave earlier?", "Why didn't she call the cops?", or, "Why does she keep going back to him?" This film should be aired frequently, and has recently been released on DVD. Kudos to the cast for their realistic and heartbreaking portrayals in this true life story. This is an ongoing and serious issue that still needs to be addressed. Recommended.

Farrah Fawcett works very hard here at making herself willowy and one-dimensional--helpless, in other words--but one can sense right away she's a tough cookie. The deep growl in her voice, the ire in her manner when she gets angry. Portraying a battered wife in "The Burning Bed", Fawcett is holding herself back so we will more easily understand the plight of this abused woman with no resources, but it isn't always convincing (and I'm not sure who was responsible for talking Farrah into looking so drab--I'm sure there are lovely women who are victims of marital abuse). Nevertheless, this TV-film is a no-nonsense take on the subject and the flaws can be overlooked. The jazz score is incredible, the kids are very natural, Grace Zabriskie is perfectly hissable as Paul LeMat's mother. LeMat, playing Fawcett's drunken, explosive husband, is effective, but I still think a woman of Farrah's stature could have stood up to him. I believed her much more as the unbalanced child-killer of "Small Sacrifices" than I did her here.