The Passion of Ayn Rand

In this illuminating, made-for-television drama, novelist and iconoclast Ayn Rand (Helen Mirren) uses her objectivist philosophy to rationalize a torrid, 15-year affair with her handsome young protégé, Nathaniel Branden (Eric Stoltz). Christopher Menaul directed the film, which is based on the autobiography of Branden's long-suffering wife, Barbara (played by Julie Delpy). Peter Fonda shines as Frank O'Connor, Rand's aggrieved spouse.