3/14/07

Sherrybaby

"Say 'I Love you Mommy'."

4 Star


I'm having a hard time figuring out how to review this movie.
It brought up a real issue. One that I see from time to time at work.
Women who are fresh out of jail, and want to pick up their life right where it left off.

Sherry, played to perfection by Maggie Gyllenhaal is newly out of prison and is on probation for what I can guess is robbery, and/or drug possession. She desperately wants to have, not raise, her daughter again who is now in the custody of her brother and his wife.
Costarring was Danny Trejo. Once you see him, you'll know who he is. He did a great job as well, and I was so pleased to see someone take him seriously as an actor. A little rough, but give him some more meaty parts, and he'll get better.

I do say "have" her daughter, because it seemed like her daughter was more of a possessions to Sherry than a child who needs rearing. As if she knows that a child's love is unconditional and if no one loves her surley her daughter will.

When I was a kid, my close friend at the time "Jamie" was in the same situation. She was happy living with her Aunt and Uncle which she recognized as her parents. Yet her mother who was in and out of jail, with a drinking and drug problem would surface from time to time, and demand that she have her daughter back. I remember her venting to me. I think we were about 9 or 10. If she was acting strange, I would know that she probably heard from her mother again. It sucked.

This movie's story was very familiar to me. Not only because of Jamie, but the people I see at work. They say they "just got released. And now I'm on my way to pick up my baby." Then we have a family member come in to pay for their stuff, because they are back in jail. It's common here.

There was another great line in this movie, that pretty much wraps it up.

"You want to get clean, but you don't want to do the work.
You want your daughter back, but you don't want to do the work."

1 comments:

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