Stephanie Daley (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
A pregnant forensic psychologist, Lydie Crane (Tilda Swinton) is hired to learn the truth behind the case of 16 yr. old Stephanie Daley (Amber Tamblyn), who's accused of hiding her pregnancy & killing her premature infant. 'Stephanie Daley', written & directed by Hilary Brougher, is easy to critique. The story is thin, the plot is grim. It ends abruptly. But boy, Tilda Swinton & (particularly) Amber Tamblyn are great in these difficult roles.
The film opens and we see Stephanie collapsing in a pool of blood while on a school skiing trip. The images of red blood in the white snow is striking and horrifying. A medical technician discovers that the blood was the after effects of her giving birth. Soon thereafter, the tiny body is found in a toilet, her airway blocked by a bunch of toilet paper. The public bathroom birth scene is torturous to watch, but also disturbingly mesmerizing. Stephanie insists that the child was stillborn and that she hadn't known about her 6 1/2 month pregnancy. Still, she is arrested for murder and is interviewed by Lydie before trial begins.
Meanwhile, Lydie's marriage has been rocky. She's 6 1/2 months pregnant, herself. Her husband appears to be having an affair (mainly because they've struggled to have children). The last child WAS birthed as a stillborn. As Stephanie explains her only sexual experience, the testy relationship with her parents, and the truth behind her daughter's deadly birth ... Lydie is forced to face her own past, her buried emotions, and the regretful truth surrounding the recent loss of her own baby. 'Stephanie Daley' is more about revealing the characters' inner minds, than it is about 'solving' the case. So some questions won't be answered.
Obviously, this provocative film is about women's lives, the ambiguous emotions that encompass a loss of virginity, & the joy & pain of pregnancy. But its also a meditation on how people communicate (or can't) with each other in the face of difficult situations. This film is executed in a calm, quiet, confident way. I suppose the 'way' it's shot is one of the more impressive aspects of the film. One of the problems I have with it, though is that it's both extremely dark (with no optimistic notion), and it's extremely short at 88 minutes. So, the film offers a narrow, oblique scope. It also progresses slowly and drizzles off after one pivotal moment. The 'premise' supersedes 'passion'. But Swinton & Tamblyn convey denial, stress, and release extremely well. Tamblyn is particularly fearless in this role.
The film opens and we see Stephanie collapsing in a pool of blood while on a school skiing trip. The images of red blood in the white snow is striking and horrifying. A medical technician discovers that the blood was the after effects of her giving birth. Soon thereafter, the tiny body is found in a toilet, her airway blocked by a bunch of toilet paper. The public bathroom birth scene is torturous to watch, but also disturbingly mesmerizing. Stephanie insists that the child was stillborn and that she hadn't known about her 6 1/2 month pregnancy. Still, she is arrested for murder and is interviewed by Lydie before trial begins.
Meanwhile, Lydie's marriage has been rocky. She's 6 1/2 months pregnant, herself. Her husband appears to be having an affair (mainly because they've struggled to have children). The last child WAS birthed as a stillborn. As Stephanie explains her only sexual experience, the testy relationship with her parents, and the truth behind her daughter's deadly birth ... Lydie is forced to face her own past, her buried emotions, and the regretful truth surrounding the recent loss of her own baby. 'Stephanie Daley' is more about revealing the characters' inner minds, than it is about 'solving' the case. So some questions won't be answered.
Obviously, this provocative film is about women's lives, the ambiguous emotions that encompass a loss of virginity, & the joy & pain of pregnancy. But its also a meditation on how people communicate (or can't) with each other in the face of difficult situations. This film is executed in a calm, quiet, confident way. I suppose the 'way' it's shot is one of the more impressive aspects of the film. One of the problems I have with it, though is that it's both extremely dark (with no optimistic notion), and it's extremely short at 88 minutes. So, the film offers a narrow, oblique scope. It also progresses slowly and drizzles off after one pivotal moment. The 'premise' supersedes 'passion'. But Swinton & Tamblyn convey denial, stress, and release extremely well. Tamblyn is particularly fearless in this role.