The film plays out differently, mostly thanks to Streep’s involvement in shaping her character’s arc. The actress, then barely known in Hollywood, was famously asked to re-write Joanna’s meatiest scene so it would sound more authentic. Asked by her lawyer why she felt compelled to leave her child behind for over a year, she delivers a deeply moving monologue that includes this crucial point: “I know I left my son, I know that that’s a terrible thing to do. Believe me, I have to live with that every day of my life. But in order to leave him, I had to believe that it was the only thing I could do. And that it was the best thing for him I was incapable of functioning in that home, and I didn’t know what the alternative was going to be. So, I thought it was not best that I take him with me. However, I’ve since gotten some help, and I have worked very, very hard to become a whole human being.”