Dolores Claiborne (1995)
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A mother and daughter are reunited in a remote Maine town following a suspicious death that unearths years of buried trauma.
The story
In 1995, Dolores Claiborne works as a domestic servant for an elderly woman, Vera Donovan, in a mansion on a fictional Maine island. After a struggle leads to Vera's death, Dolores is caught by a mailman and faces a murder investigation. Her estranged daughter, Selena, a journalist from New York, arrives to support her mother despite her doubts about Dolores's innocence. The local community remains suspicious of Dolores due to a conviction from eighteen years prior. As the police investigation intensifies, the two women must navigate their strained relationship and the secrets of their past while facing the scrutiny of a determined detective.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1995, Dolores Claiborne serves as a servant for Vera Donovan on Little Tall Island, Maine. After Vera falls and dies, Dolores is accused of murder. Her estranged daughter, Selena, arrives from New York to assist her. The community remains hostile toward Dolores, who was previously convicted of murdering her husband, Joe St. George, in 1977. Flashbacks reveal that Joe was an abusive alcoholic who also molested Selena. Dolores had previously hidden the truth of his abuse from Selena. The film reveals that Dolores had actually forced Joe into a well after he stole their savings. On a ferry, Selena experiences a repressed memory of her father's abuse. She returns to the coroner's inquest and informs Detective Mackey that he lacks evidence and is acting on a personal vendetta. Realizing the case will likely be dismissed, Mackey drops the charges, and the mother and daughter reconcile before Selena returns to New York.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 131
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Taylor Hackford
- Writers
- Tony Gilroy · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kathy Bates · Dolores Claiborne; Jennifer Jason Leigh · Selena St. George; David Strathairn; John C. Reilly; Eric Bogosian; Christopher Plummer · Detective Mackey
- Genres
- psychological thriller; drama
- Themes
- repression; domestic violence; incest; maternal melodrama; feminist consciousness
- Tone and mood
- patient; gradually terrifying; melodramatic; noir
- Premise and plot tags
- psychological thriller; mystery; crime thriller; mother-daughter relationship
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1992 novel by Stephen King
- Content notes
- abuse; incest
- Reception
- The film was well received by critics, particularly for the performances of Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It was also noted as a significant adaptation of a Stephen King novel.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · scale: percentage · review count: 52; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 19; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actress · Saturn Awards · 22nd · nominated; Best Supporting Actress · Saturn Awards · 22nd · nominated; Tokyo International Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress · Tokyo International Film Festival · won
- Production trivia
- It was the second major King film adaptation to star Kathy Bates in a leading role.; The film was shot in Nova Scotia in 1994.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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