i first saw sign of life on pb a an american playhouse presentation . it a wonderfully write and ensemble production with terrific performance by michael lewis a joey and vincent donofrio a his brother and daryl . arthur kennedy and in one of his last role and be also excellent a an age shipbuilder whose family business be about to close . the rest of the cast which include beau bridge and kathy bates and mary louise parker give remarkable clarity and substance to their character . the direction be subtle and effective . i have watch this movie several time over the year and would very much recommend it . a beautiful piece of filmmaking .