| Genre: | Drama |
| Director: | David Greene |
| Executive Producer: | Bill Finnegan Patricia Finnegan |
| Producer: | Sheldon Pinchuk Deborah Moore Gerald Rafshoon |
| Starring: | Tuesday Weld Geraldine Fitzgerald Peter Bonerz River Phoenix Philip Sterling Zoaunne Leroy Ellen Travolta Sue Giosa |
| Music: | Gil Mellé |
| Cinematography: | Stevan Larner |
| Editor: | David Campling |
| Company: | Lorimar Television Telepictures Productions |
| Network: | CBS |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Circle of Violence: A Family Drama (also known as Circle of Violence: A Family on the Edge or simply Circle of Violence) is a 1986 CBS television movie. Directed by David Greene and starring Tuesday Weld, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Bonerz and River Phoenix, the film tells the tragic story of the seldom addressed issue of elder parent abuse.
Georgia Benfield is at a difficult place in her life; her husband, Pete, has left her for a younger woman, her teenage son, Chris, is unmanageable, and she's struggling financially when her widowed mother, Charlotte, moves in. Amid juggling a new full-time job, raising two children, and her failing marriage, the constant bickering between mother and daughter continues as it has ever since Georgia was a child.
Finally, at her wit's end, Georgia loses control and begins physically abusing her elderly mother, just as Georgia had been abused herself as a child. As family and friends slowly begin to learn of the abuse, and long buried family secrets come to light, both mother and daughter must learn to accept the past, to change what is happening at present, in order to face a better future.
| Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. | |
| 1986–1987 | Best Television Family Special, Movie of the Week or Variety Show | Circle of Violence | [1] | |||
| Best Young Actress in a Family Special, Movie of the Week or Variety Show | Christina Maria Hutter | |||||
| 1987 | Retirement Research Foundation Wise Owl Award | Television and Theatrical Film Fiction | Sheldon Pinchuk Bill Finnegan Patricia Finnegan Deborah Moore Gerald Rafshoon | [2] |