Onscreen, the transitions between scenes are seamless, but they are most often shot out of sequence. The actors have to re-create the emotional mindset of the scene, even if they shot the previous part of the scene several days before.

To do that, said actress Kelly Stables, the actor needs to know the script inside and out. Stables and Bashoff compared acting to piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. "It's all broken down into shots and angles, and you need to know where a scene falls into the big picture," Bashoff said.

"You need to know each piece of the puzzle," Stables added.

For Duffy, learning "each piece of the puzzle" has been more of a challenge than for the others. Duffy flew into Salt Lake City a week into the filming to replace actress Patty Duke, who was let go because of creative differences. Because of that replacement, filming will take about another week, but the producers did not have an estimate of the added cost.

Although she didn't have as much time to get to know the script and other cast members, Duffy said she takes it one scene at a time. But it's pretty easy for her to relate to the film's theme, since she's a mother with children around her character's age.

"My children are 17 and 20, and the script is a lot about children leaving home and growing up that is very emotional for the parent and the child," she said.

For Stiers, the best part is just being around the cast. "For such a young cast, their energy, experience and tension are so high," he said. "They are so constantly alert and available, and so unrelentingly good at acting."

And their talent shows up on screen, in the form of a real family. "We're good enough actors not to be too far away from (looking like a real family) anyway," Stiers said, "but we have become much more intimate, genuinely caring about each other, and that just deepens the pleasure of the film."

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E-mail: jcloward@desnews.com