Stephanie Daley (2006) (original) (raw)
Synopsis
The truth is what we believe.
Stephanie collapses in a pool of blood while on a school skiing trip. A doctor discovers that the blood is the after-effects of giving birth. Soon afterward, the body of a newborn baby is found in a toilet, its mouth blocked with toilet paper. Despite Stephanie's insistence that her child was stillborn and that she had no idea that she was pregnant, she is arrested for the murder of the child.
Cast
Popular reviews
Shoestring budget, but Tilda elevates it to prestige. I’m clearly in my Tilda era.
i tried to be supportive with her, i really did, but i wanted to kill myself 💔
It does feel a little like a made-for-tv movie, but the story is good and so are the performances.
Forensic psychologist Lydie Crane (Tilda Swinton), who once had a stillbirth and is pregnant again, takes on a personally difficult case. She must examine Stephanie Daley (Amber Tamblyn), a teenager who is about to stand trial for the murder of her newborn.
Flashbacks reveal Stephanie's past, as the teen recounts her version of events leading to her pregnancy, her labor and her infant's death.
This is a decent version of the “ripped from the headlines” issue movie, but it lacks visual flair and veers into melodrama at certain points. The acting is quite good, though. Swinton is excellent as usual, and the story is quite harrowing.
Truthfully I didn't completely remember this movie after watching it but the vibe I got was 3 stars
Tilda, you can't simply take an earring out to show someone the stud on the day you get it pierced, even for marital drama.
An introspective film that contrasts two very different pregnancy experiences, two very different births and two very different ways of dealing with loss; Tilda Swinton & Amber Tamblyn both lift this far above what could have been a TV of the Week type scenario.
With careful, focussed directing and writing; the seemingly in denial student surprised by the birth of her baby IS believable in a sad, nausea inducing way. The emotions in this shift slowly, like a boat tethered to a jetty as the wind starts to pick up. At first you're not sure if it's you or the weather.
Swinton's heavily pregnant investigator can't help but feel affected by the young girl and her strange insistence of denial. Guilt…
Not my cup of tea of Movie.
After having passed out young 16 year old Stephanie is made to see a forensic psychologist and has to tell Lydie crane the events that led up to her persumed killing of her newborn. I didnt much enjoy this as it deals with abortion and there was one scene i saw in this that made me feel uneasy,and yes its acting but it did, and Swintons acting in this was ok but i like her acting in narnia as the wich. Overall it was not my cup of tea of Movie from start to End.
2.5 out of 10
no Rewatch in Future.
Makes a lot of interesting observations without becoming preachy. One scene in particular is devastatingly shot.No
easy answers are given, just like in real life
This movie takes a little while to get rolling, and then it goes from interesting, to engrossing, to shattering. Even setting aside its pervasively hostile emotional climate, the real core of this movie is the most frank discussion of miscarriage that I can possibly imagine. If you have the same kind of alienated feeling about pregnancy that I do, STEPHANY DALEY will make you run for the hills.
This film is such a mixed bag. Amber Tamblyn is fantastic as Stephanie, and the story is compelling, even though I didn't feel like it was told in the most effective way. The side plot with Tilda Swinton and Timothy Hutton was distracting and unnecessary, though, and Denis O'Hare and Jim Gaffigan were weird choices for their respective supporting roles. I found Tilda's terrible wig incredibly offputting, and I couldn't take her character seriously because of it, although she does her usual excellent work here.
A church girl named Satin? The parents definitely meant to spell "Satan"! Teenage pregnancy is always a tricky subject to navigate, yet Brougher's drama delicately explores the emotional realities behind infanticide and the fundamental cause of pregnancy denial. It's a deeply maternal feature with Swinton's pregnant forensic psychologist empathising with her subject after experiencing stillbirth. Both Tamblyn and Swinton give powerfully subtle performances - particularly the birthing scene during the ski trip (ridiculously traumatising). It does however have a strong whiff of PSA TV feature, particularly during the Christian-heavy sex education moments, and unfortunately does dwindle into melodrama. But still, a solidly maternalistic drama!