mask be the 1985 comedy drama base on the true story of rocky dennis and a sensitive and highly intelligent teenager who and because of a debilitating disease and have a severely disfigured face that have make him an outcast outside of his family and the social circle surround them ( basically a biker gang and who be savagely protective of rocky ) . the film focus primarily on rocky relationship with his mother rusty ( cher ) and a free spirited independent woman whose history of drug and alcohol abuse and sexual promiscuity have be such a concern to rocky that it sometimes hard to tell who raise who in the dennis household . the film be basically unfolds a a series of vignette and highlight the ups and down of rocky and rusty relationship and which seem to rise above everything else that happen in their life . no matter what rocky and rusty go through and their love for each other rise above everything and make all their fallacy fade to the background . peter bogdonovich evocative direction be a big plus here and know where to mine the laugh and the tear and the film contain plenty of both . cher give the performance of her career a rusty dennis ( even good than her oscar win turn in moonstruck ) and an unrecognizable eric stoltz hit all the right note a the soulful and intelligent rocky . sam elliott be solid a rusty on again and off again boyfriend gar and laura dern shine a a blind girl who rocky fall for . mention should also be make of dennis burkley a a slow witted family friend and of richard dysart and the late estelle getty who register in one scene a rusty parent . don not miss this lovely emotional drama that perfectly blend laughter and tear to maximum effect .