by Mark Deming
synopsis
In this made-for-TV drama based on a true story, two estranged sisters, Debra (Delta Burke) and Kay (Swoosie Kurtz), are brought together when one begins to question if the death of a third sibling when they were children could have been a result of physical abuse from their parents. Using hypnosis to recover repressed memories, the two women force themselves to confront the mistreatment they received at the hands of their mother nearly 40 years earlier. A Promise to Carolyn also stars Shirley Knight and Grace Zabriskie.
