 "3 stars out of 4" | 2009-02-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1X054KUYG5V |
The Bottom Line:
A Cry in the Dark is a capable docudrama that does a fine job retelling the story that shocked Australia; while it should be condemned for making people say "The dingo ate my baby!" in awful Australian accents, it's a worthy film with good acting by Streep and Neil. |
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| "Media frenzy, Aussie-style" | 2008-09-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1TEMNM9ZEOLJ6 |
| I missed this true news story, but the movie recreates the group witch hunt that chased this Aussie couple to the penitentiary for a crime they never committed. Rumors, innuendo, boredom and group think were some of the factors involved. The film does a good job with it all, and the Aussie mood and landscapes are captured well. Streep is great, and Sam Neill is ok as the religious father caught up in the '80s craziness. |
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 "Sadly, this is a true story..." | 2008-08-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: ANCOMAI0I7LVG |
I state the obvious in my title for a reason; for it is films like this that open your eyes to a very ugly side of life and humanity and kind of make you cringe inside at the very thought of belonging to the same species as some of these people. I know that that may sound harsh, but I dare you to watch this harrowing film and not find yourself thinking the same way. I couldn't help but close my eyes in agony during sections of this film, my wife gasping as we took in everything that this poor family had to suffer and endure; to no fault of their own besides maybe a poor decision that should have never been held over their heads.
`Evil Angels' (or `A Cry in the Dark' here in the states) tells the heartbreaking true story of the Chamberlain family who lost their young daughter while camping in the Australian outback. In the middle of the night a dingo snuck into the tent in which their 10-week old daughter Azaria was sleeping and ran off with her. A search was started yet her body was never found, and when the search was ended the witch-hunt began as the community and the media launched an all out attack on the family, especially the mother Lindy, trying to pin her down for the murder of her child.
You think that the worst thing that can happen to a parent is to lose a child; but that pain seems minimal when you find yourself accused of taking their life.
`Evil Angels' recounts the court proceedings that followed the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain as her family is tormented and persecuted and mercilessly attacked by everyone around them. It is true that we live in a world where young children are killed and or abused daily, and many times by a parent, but we also live in a world where you are supposed to remain innocent until proven guilty, and no guilt was every proven against Lindy or Michael Chamberlain, which makes their treatment all the more devastating.
Sam Neill and Meryl Streep are superb as the crushed souls known as Michael and Lindy Chamberlain. They each dominate their characters, truly sinking into the thoughts and actions and wreckage that comes from this unforeseen situation. Neill embodies Michael with such sympathy and pain; his eyes bleeding with this uncomfortable sadness that scratches at his heart. As the court proceedings carry on and his relationship with Lindy becomes strained you can really see that he is trying to understand what is happening to him, but his mind can't grasp it; or maybe it doesn't want to. Meryl Streep is a revelation as Lindy. Lindy deals with her situation in stark contrast to her husband, forcing herself to find humor in her treatment to deaden the pain; but when she takes the stand and her countenance falls and she starts to crumble you begin to understand that she is not as cold as she appears.
You realize just how badly she has been damaged by the actions of everyone around her.
`Evil Angels' is a very hard film to stomach. It reminds me much of `The Crucible' in that both films (true life accounts mind you) expose the cruelty and inhumane ways of humans in desperate situations. Through both films I felt this heat within my veins that boiled into full-fledged anger and frustration in people. Maybe it's because I am a parent, but even if I were not I still feel as if this film would have wounded me so-to-speak. The script, actors, direction and mere tone of the film only help to elevate the inevitable devastation, to such a degree that the ending solace seems more token and less gratifying.
This film is superb. |
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| "A Cry in the Dark or Evil Angels" | 2008-06-04 |
| - Reviewed By User: A10E3F50DIUJEE |
This has to be one of the most heart wrenching films I have ever seen.
This is the opposite of those movies that make you feel good about humanity and the world we live in ... This incredible true story makes you wonder how we call this civilization or justice.
Meryl Streep is tremendous as Mrs. Chamberlain, wife to a pastor husband, who experiences tragedy early on in the film. But the film focuses more on the tragedy that later befalls their lives as compassion and humanity are trampled by ignorance, rumor, hatred, and stubbornness.
Their story is amazing. It is sad and it makes you cry. And it will haunt you for some time. I believe there are few things scarier than being innocent and yet being unable to prove it because others believe in your guilt so diligently and blindly. Like Hitchcock's The Wrong Man, Cry in the Dark will leave its stain upon you, but will also give you hope in the end.
Highly recommend it is seen, but buy it with caution (some moments are so terribly painful you may not ever want to see them again). |
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| "A Cry in the Dark" | 2007-07-06 |
| - Reviewed By jfarr02 |
| Based on the shocking true story of a Seventh Day Adventist and his wife's personal and legal ordeal, Schepisi's poignant, gut-wrenching drama builds on the astonishing performance of Streep, barely recognizable as the timid, aggrieved victim of near-daily assaults in the press. Schepisi builds suspense in the tense courtroom scenes, which are intercut with flashbacks to the camping trip, and never recoils from the lurid aspects of the Lindy witch hunt. With its sympathy for a minority faith and contempt for tabloid excess, "Dark" feels more relevant than ever. |
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| "The "Death" Of An Innocent Family" | 2006-10-18 |
| - Reviewed By timjer |
Goes to show how far a little prejudice will go. After warnings that Dingos were becoming a dangerous problem at Ayer's Rock, baby Azaria's tragic death was bound to happen to someone's child sooner or later. Unfortunately, many didn't realize just how powerful an animal the Dingo is. Like many here in the U.S. don't realize the dangers of our even smaller Coyote. And unfortunately for the Chamberlain family, smaller minority churches like their membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, made them subjects of suspicion and rumors. Their marriage was eventually destroyed over this crisis.
This film portrayed so well, how a little gossip and stereotyping can explode into hatred. Little known to most even today, is that there was a large cover-up from law enforcement, down to members of the local community, who were aware that a well known local Dingo was responsible for Azaria's death. Yet, many still refuse to accept Lindy Chamberlain's total innocence of her baby's death. The average viewer of this film would be totally sickened by the full revelation of this tragic event.
Meryl Streep's performance, is possibly the best movie portrayal of someone not actually born a native to the country of her character's origin. Her Australian accent is delivered to perfection. Very much worthy of the 8th Academy Award nomination she received. A strong argument for religious tolerance, and keeping cool heads till all the facts are in. And a great edition to any DVD collection, though some strong language for what essentially is a faith-based film may discourage some from viewing.
The film's now well known line, "the Dingo took my baby" would not have the least hint of humor if heard in its true context. Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean. |
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