Kramer Vs. Kramer

It is a film of rare emotional insight, of painful images and of questions without answers. The emotional trauma, the joys and conflicts by its two main characters, Ted and Joanna Kramer, transcend film and become shared experiences with viewers.

The love to be found in Kramer vs. Kramer isn't of the Hollywood variety. It's the real kind. Or at least it looks like the real kind, thanks to dynamite performances by the film's three stars.

Dustin Hoffman has never given a better performance. It is a role stripped down to the raw nerve endings, and incredible feat of winning audience sympathy.

Director Robert Benton, on only his third film, does a spectacular job of piling powerful scene upon powerful scene. The result is a succession of one-two punches that repeatedly knock the wind out of us.