TV REVIEWS : ‘Abby’ Deals Caringly With Sensitive Subject

“CBS Schoolbreak Special” offers an affecting portrayal of a teen-age incest victim and her first steps toward healing in “Abby, My Love” (today at 3 p.m. on Channels 2 and 8).

Sometimes 16-year-old Abby (Cara Buono) and her best friend Chip (Josh Hamilton) pretend to be jet-setters. It’s just a joke to Chip; he doesn’t know that for Abby it’s an escape from who she really is.

Chip knows that Abby’s attractive suburban home isn’t a happy place: Her father (Anthony Heald) is overly strict, her mom (Veronica Cartwright) is away a lot and Abby always puts herself down--but he has no inkling of the devastating secret Abby has kept for nine years.

Eventually, however, Chip’s unwavering affection and his mother’s support enable Abby to break through her fear and shame to tell and get the help she needs.

Gordon Edelstein’s sensitive direction, a better-than-average cast and Paul W. Cooper’s gentle, human script keep the film from being just another by-the-numbers psychological study.

The film’s best moments are the interweaving of Abby’s emotional confrontation with her mother--”Why didn’t you protect me?”--and shots of Chip alone outdoors, running, trying to release his own rage and grief. Having viewers discover Abby’s torment through the eyes of a deeply caring friend is the film’s strength; Hamilton gives a truly fine performance.