I know that this movie may be considered old news to some of you, but I have this habit of going back in movie time — to catch up on films I might have missed in between cramming for finals and being on time for my 2 -10 shift riding on roller skates while dealing burgers and fries like an old deck of cards.
I love watching independent and foreign films — movies made on the outskirts, far away from the Hollywood studio executives and the ever-looming taint of car explosions (*cough*Michael Bay*cough*), pseudo-people who look too perfect, and the forced happy endings Hollywood feeds to its auidences that are just too far-fetched for reality. What are we, idiots?
Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance in SherryBaby is phenomenal. I admit that I was a little apprehensive about watching SherryBaby due to Gyllenhaal's bland performance in The Dark Knight (2008)*, but she has more than made up for it with this film.
Sherry (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a theif and drug addict. She spent the last three years away from her young daughter, who was being cared for by Sherry's brother and his wife. While checking in with her parole officer, Sherry emphasizes wanting to clean up her life and get her daughter back. This is something Sherry really believes that she can accomplish without anyone's help. What happens on her road to recovery provides the very foundation that makes this film remarkable.
Not everyone is happy to see Sherry, especially her brother's wife (Bridget Barkan) who has cared for her young daughter, Alex (Ryan Simpkins) for the three years Sherry was away. Being reunited with her daughter provides a tense moment as the young girl is obviously trying to decide whether or not she wants to see Sherry, her real mother, while remaining loyal to her already devoted mother figure.


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