Review of Evil Angels (1988) by Daniel A — 07 Dec 2010

A Cry In The Dark is a powerful film that flits effortlessly from family to courtroom drama, and is held together by one of Meryl Streep's most underrated performances.

Based on true events, A Cry In The Dark tells the story of Lindy Chamberlain, an Australian mother whose baby is killed in an animal attack. However following a media furore, Chamberlain is accused of murdering the child and is forced to fight for her innocence in court.

Being too young to remember the events depicted here first hand, I was unaware of how this film would pan out. However I was shocked at just how familiar it felt, and was immediately reminded of the recent case of Madeleine McCann whose religious parents were accused of her murder after a great media circus surrounding the case. The parallels between these two cases are beyond disturbing, and make this movie incredibly relevant more than twenty years since its original release.

As with many of Streep's films, her performance here has often been cited as the movie's standout component. Not only is she authentic in every inflection of her Aussie accent, but she also plays Chamberlain in a way that it's never quite certain what's going through her mind. At times she's devastatingly moving, while at others seems harshly uncaring. Her carefree nature despite the horrific death of her baby seems puzzling to start, but soon becomes an integral part of her character, as it becomes clear that her coping mechanisms strangely involve laughter. It really is a fantastic turn that sits very nicely amongst Streep's fifteen other Oscar nominated performances. Opposite her, Sam Neill shouldn't be overlooked. He impresses to a lesser degree, but still holds his own as the suffering husband who struggles to maintain his brave face as the world's media makes a nightmare situation even worse.

Through its exploration of the case, the film touches an a number of issues. The impact of gossip, our necessity to place blame, the vulnerability of minorities (in this case the religious), and the use of terrible events as a form of entertainment are all covered. Resultantly the film genuinely challenges viewers, and I found myself shocked at how successfully it made me question my own actions. Moreover the film's attack on TV journalism is scathing, and while it's no surprise to see how the Chamberlain's words are manipulated by the media, it is no less affecting.

By the time we reach the courtroom scenes, despite having witnessed the true events at the beginning of the film I honestly didn't know which way the ruling would go, and was shocked by the outcome. Thus A Cry In The Dark is a vastly successful film that demonstrates Streep's unsurpassed talent via a gripping story, and continues to challenge audiences some two decades after its release.