See also The Mask, a 1994 comedy starring Jim Carrey, or Mask (disambiguation) for other uses of the word.

Mask is a 1985 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Cher and Eric Stoltz. Sam Elliott and Laura Dern are featured in supporting roles.

Synopsis

The film concerns the life and early death of Rocky Dennis, who suffered from the rare disease craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, commonly known as "lionitis" for the disfiguring mane-like enlargements of the cranium and facial bones.

Rocky's mother Rusty Dennis (Cher) is determined to give the boy as normal a life as possible, despite her own wild ways as a member of a biker gang. She fights to have him included in a mainstream junior high school, when the principal would rather classify him with mental retardation in order to have him sent to a special education school. Rocky (Stoltz) goes on to thrive in the school, gradually overcoming discrimination and eventually finding a girlfriend (Dern). The film ends with death at the age of 16.

Impact

The commercial success of Mask was a milestone in the career of Bogdanovich, who had directed a string of critical and financial failures following his three successful films of the early 1970s. It also helped launch the careers of Stoltz and Dern.

External link

• IMDb listing