Barnes & Noble

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s bravura performance distinguishes this harrowing story about a young drug addict’s daily struggle to keep her life from spiraling out of control. The newly paroled Sherry (Gyllenhaal) plans to clean up the wreckage she caused before going to jail. Priority number one is reconnecting with her six-year-old daughter, Alexis (Ryan Simpkins), who during her mom’s absence has bonded with Sherry’s brother (Brad Henke) and sister-in-law (Bridget Barkan), with whom she lives. Enduring the indignities of existence in a halfway house, as well as the open hostility of her parole officer (Giancarlo Esposito), Sherry eventually falls off the wagon and begins another descent down the slippery slope of substance abuse. Gyllenhaal’s sympathetic characterization effectively illustrates the dual mind-sets of the true addict: euphoria and despair. Given director Laurie Collyer’s uncompromising exploration of the grim subject matter, SherryBaby can be pretty rough sledding at times. Yet thanks largely to Gyllenhaal’s charismatic portrayal, as well as terrific supporting turns by Danny Trejo and others, this look into the urban underbelly is an exhilarating work. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

An emotionally stunted ex-convict whose recent release from prison finds her attempting to form a relationship with her young daughter finds that redemption doesn't come easy in this emotional family drama, the feature debut of award-winning documentary filmmaker Laurie Collyer. When Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) was sentenced to three years in prison on a drug-related robbery conviction at the age of 22, she had just given birth to a daughter named Alexis (Ryan Simpkins). Placed in the care of Sherry's brother, Bobby (Brad William Henke), and sister-in-law, Lynette (Bridget Barkan), while her mother was behind bars, young Alexis has grown into an affectionate young girl eager to reconnect with the mother she has never met. Though Sherry at first seems determined to stay on the straight and narrow, increasingly infrequent visits to Alexis and a troubling revelation about her family past soon begin to lead the protective Lynette to take a stand in protecting the vulnerable youngster. Later, when compassionate 12-step veteran Dean (Danny Trejo) makes an effort to help Sherry become the mother she longs to be, the troubled ex-con is faced with the choice of truly living up to her word or potentially losing her daughter forever. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 025193343628
• Source: SCREEN MEDIA
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 1:36:00
• Sales Rank: 17,146

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