A judgmental town with small-minded people makes grade school nurse Sigourney Weaver guilty before even finding out the truth, all because of an accidental death of a neighbor child who didn't wait for her as requested to get out of the shower before going to the lake. Next thing you know, she's up on charges of abusing children, and in prison where she is brutally abused by a bully inmate while outside her husband David Strathairn tries to pick up the pieces for him and their two daughters, becoming closer to the mother of the drowned girl, Julianne Moore, who was once Weaver's best friend. Weaver has obviously been going through some major emotional problems, with too much on her plate to handle, and her own little girls quite troublesome. Her loving husband is quite understanding, but there's only so much he can do, and it's obvious that while she certainly doesn't deserve prison that she does need help or just a good time out.
What could have been a family drama of major histrionics is presented very subtly with the three adult leads absolutely superb. Weaver, whose seemingly strong nature gives off the impression that she is unsinkable, gets to show quite a bit of vulnerability and insecurities, and that makes this one of her most relatable characters whom the audience can root for even though it's obvious that she has very severe emotional problems that need treatment. But she certainly doesn't deserve the treatment that she gets from the town, especially the mother who constantly allows her young son to come to school sick all the time and risk infecting other children.
The friendship between Weaver and Moore is amazingly strong, especially in a scene after the child's funeral where Weaver encounters the crying Moore and the grieving mother subtly reveals her own inner torment while all the while empathizing with Weaver's emotional issues. This is a positive view of female relationships and strong friendships that could have been presented a lot more bitterly yet somehow comes off as compassionate. The realism of the human element of this film is truly amazing, even though the prison scenes are very upsetting. Weaver once again proves why she is one of the greatest actresses of the last decade of the 20th Century, and hopefully one day, she will be moved into legendary status.
What could have been a family drama of major histrionics is presented very subtly with the three adult leads absolutely superb. Weaver, whose seemingly strong nature gives off the impression that she is unsinkable, gets to show quite a bit of vulnerability and insecurities, and that makes this one of her most relatable characters whom the audience can root for even though it's obvious that she has very severe emotional problems that need treatment. But she certainly doesn't deserve the treatment that she gets from the town, especially the mother who constantly allows her young son to come to school sick all the time and risk infecting other children.
The friendship between Weaver and Moore is amazingly strong, especially in a scene after the child's funeral where Weaver encounters the crying Moore and the grieving mother subtly reveals her own inner torment while all the while empathizing with Weaver's emotional issues. This is a positive view of female relationships and strong friendships that could have been presented a lot more bitterly yet somehow comes off as compassionate. The realism of the human element of this film is truly amazing, even though the prison scenes are very upsetting. Weaver once again proves why she is one of the greatest actresses of the last decade of the 20th Century, and hopefully one day, she will be moved into legendary status.