Stephanie Daley
Time Out says
Brougher developed this film—about a teen who disposes of her
newborn baby and claims she didn’t know she was pregnant—at the
Sundance Institute, and it shows. The script tackles big issues with an
eye on the details of everyday life (a strength of Sundance) and tends
toward overly schematic structure and a use of obvious symbolism
(Sundance’s weakness). Stephanie (Tamblyn) has been charged with killing her newborn, and
forensic psychiatrist Lydie Crane (Swinton) has been hired by the
prosecutor to determine the girl’s mental state. Loading the dramatic
dice a bit, Lydie is pregnant after suffering a stillbirth just a year
ago, and so is particularly sensitive to questions of pregnancy. Stephanie’s case is tricky. Raised by religious but not fanatical
parents in a small upstate New York town, she has the typical teen mix
of immense naïveté and burgeoning sexuality. As Lydie interviews her,
we see the events leading up to Stephanie’s horrific delivery in a
ski-resort bathroom. The question of what she knew and understood
carries us along as any good mystery does. Unfortunately, the script indulges in lumbering symmetries; Stephanie
and Lydie both have cats, both cut their hands in kitchens, etc. That
excessive tidiness detracts from the film’s topical power.
Details
Release details
Duration:
92 mins
Cast and crew
Director:
Hilary Brougher
Cast:
Tilda Swinton
Amber Tamblyn
Timothy Hutton
Jim May
Melissa Leo
Amber Tamblyn
Timothy Hutton
Jim May
Melissa Leo