Five Stages Of Michael - Synopsis, Drama
During the holiday season of 2009, the Lane family gathers for Thanksgiving in coastal central Florida. During a teleconference call at dinner with their son Michael, who is in the United States Army serving in Iraq, they learn he is coming home for Christmas. Days later, there is a knock at the door informing them that Michael was killed in action.
Obviously, the family is devastated and Michael's father, John Lane, is burdened by the recurring thought that he gave Michael the ultimatum of going to college or joining the military with Michael choosing the Army. John's wife, Lisa, adds to the conflict as she was never in favor of Michael joining the military in the first place.
Coping with Michael's death causes friction in an otherwise happy marriage and John and Lisa find themselves questioning everything they had once thought to be rock solid in their relationship. Lisa retracts into her own personal world while John plots a way to fix everything.
Deciding to celebrate Christmas against the family's need to mourn, as it was Michael's favorite holiday, they set out to make the best of the situation. John invites Michael's best Army buddy to join them for Christmas as he has nowhere else to go. Despite their best attempt, John and Lisa begin to realize that their lives have forever changed and their marriage may not survive the most unnatural thing in the world, burying their child.