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Roger Ebert
Review
Stephanie
Daley: Return of a true Feminist Genre
Somewhere
between Max Ophuls’ generation and “Sophie’s Choice”, a ground was
slowly breaking. A new visual, intangible riddle and fascination with the
female
blood was being spoken in film. Most of our time in the theatre is spent
watching the female component of a story, unravel and decay- even heroines
sing
the long moan of the victim, before they ever become righteous.
In Hilary Brougher’s “Stephanie Daley”, the subtlety and precision of
telling a story so delicate in it’s prime might be lost on certain critics
who
are looking through box office binoculars. But it was not lost on me.
The story follows a 16-year-old girl (Amber Tamblyn) who is accused of
murdering
her newborn child, and is investigated by a forensic pathologist (Tilda
Swinton).
That’s the short of it. The two character’s lives intersect at a pivotal
moment in time, when both are struggling with a deeply concealed and
suppressed
fear in the role of life givers and sometimes, destroyers. Tamblyn drives a
steak through the heart of religious socio-political warfare in an era where
issues like Roe V. Wade are abundant once again. She delivers a powerhouse
performance that crowns her in her generation of actresses. Tilda Swinton is
a
revolutionary on screen. Timothy Hutton is extraordinary.
Though the writing teeters between melodramatic and grey at times, Ms.
Swinton
and Ms. Tamblyn refrain from big emotional breakdowns and excessive of lip
puckering. They know better. Both actresses understand the need for
understating
a story Like ‘Daley’, and they deliver just that.
This film is a contemporary ally to the work of modern Feminist movement and
filmmaking, however small scale. The fact that it hasn’t sold straight off
the
Sundance oven, is not surprising. I don’t expect a film where the lead
female
characters are not raped, beaten, rivaling or internally destructive to
appeal
to the
larger audience or heart of America. But if by chance it does- if America
still
has a heart beating- then surely it will pound for ‘Daley’.
rogerebert.suntimes.com
February 1, 2006
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