Sherrybaby

The rehabilitation of an ex-convict can provide juicy stories so this should be no exception, as glamorous, short-skirted jailbird Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal from 'The Secretary') leaves prison yearning desperately to be re-united with her young and very lovable child Alexis. The telling of the story tries hard not to follow conventions and seems to have considerable integrity, yet by building high expectations it can almost not fail to charm and disappoint in equal measure.

With a beautiful background song, 'Some Kind of Heaven', we join Sherry as she starts parole and arrives at a half-way house, bible in hand, full of excitement and hope. Her character, skilfully conveyed by Gyllenhaal, alternates between that of a warm, charismatic individual and the more archetypical ex-prisoner. She has worked hard to reform herself during her incarceration, kicking drugs, studying parenting courses, developing her faith, and now has a beautiful warm smile that melts cold hearts; but just when you might worry about being subjected to an hour and a half of saccharin, she snaps when pushed, swears copiously, threatens a fellow ex-con that pushes her around and, when the employment manager looks set to consign her to waiting tables in a restaurant, tells him frankly, "I'll suck your dick if you give me the job I want." Starting a new life and getting back with her daughter proves hard as events conspire around her. Someone from Sherry's rehab programme recognises her from a strip club where she worked at age 16; her parole officer is hard on her just at the time when she her new dream job starts taking off; Alexis' foster parents are rightly cautious about having her around, and her father is a pervert. At first she uses sex as a release for her jealousies and frustrations with life, but soon progresses to alcohol and worse. Her self-confidence worn down, she realises she is only angry at herself and her inability to cope as well as she would like. Ironically, and perhaps with more humour than intended, she admits, "I'm just mad cos I suck." At one point she rejects a down to earth life-changing programme in favour of her Good Book, and sceptics might feel that leaning on religion in this way hardly does her any favours. Sherry's problem is maybe that she wants to 'reform' only to the extent she deems necessary to raise her child, but her comprehension of the task facing is like someone looking through a keyhole.

Realistic fly-on-the-wall performances prevent Sherrybaby from descending into a sentimental hard luck story. Society feels sympathy for someone in her predicament, but society - and also the law - feels even more concern when a defenceless child is caught up in the midst. The task of reintegrating with the outside world may be an almost impossible one, and Sherry fights bravely (even if we disapprove of some of her methods) but the increasing worry - and one that the movie, to its credit, doesn't dodge - is for the well-being of Alexis. Even left to her own devices (which she isn't), Alexis, unable to comprehend the complexity of what's happening around her, would probably gravitate to those adults radiating the emotional stability of her foster parents rather than the gushing love coupled with violent verbal or physical outbursts of her real mother. In one scene, Sherry violently rebukes a parent who is shaking and berating her son. Whatever the moral justification, Alexis is frightened and backs away.

Sherrybaby's weakness is that meanders on too long for the amount of underlying plot. Repeated family reunions add little to the story and begin to look like a TV documentary that goes on just slightly past its sell-by date. But to its credit it tackles a difficult subject with honesty, includes some gutsy performances, doesn't flinch from including very believable adult subject matter, and is quite enjoyable as long as you don't expect too much.

I thought the movie featured a great screen play and was a strong vehicle for each of actors to develop their characters. The story may not be entirely original but I think that's a strength because it's the telling of the story through each of the characters that makes it an achievement. Seldom does a film have such strong protagonists and antagonists and allow viewers to really empathize with each.

I enjoyed seeing the raw tension between the characters who could relate to personally, as my family participated in the Foster Care system for many years growing up. I think some may want to see more of a definitive ending but for me, it's more about the journey and the struggles therein.

I would recommend this movie for those who want to see a seemingly familiar story told in a unique way.

Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a recovering addict after serving prison time. She is placed in a halfway house and desperate to reconnect with her daughter who is living with her brother's family. She is perfectly willing to exchange sex for favors. She befriends Dean Walker (Danny Trejo) from the recovery meeting who recognizes her as a stripper. There is hostilities at the halfway house and she stays at her brother's home. It doesn't go well and she starts using again. Parole Officer Hernandez (Giancarlo Esposito) threatens her with prison time if she doesn't go back to treatment.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is great but Sherry is not terribly likable. She's a self-destructive addict who is a danger to her daughter. It's not until the bitter end that her self-obsessed destruction clears up. It would be better for her to build some more sympathy early on. It is still a devastating performance.

There is one reason and one reason alone to see 'Sherrybaby', and that is for Maggie Gyllenhaal tour-de-force performance. Gyllenhaal gives her best performance to date as Sherry, a heroin addict/thief on parole who struggles to stay clean and re-kindle a relationship with her estranged five-year-old daughter. Everything else in the movie is mediocre at best. The other actors are good, but none of them have roles with enough substance for special merits. 'Sherrybaby' is not an easy movie to watch, it's painfully realistic and I felt incredibly embarrassed by Gyllenhaal's Sherry through-out the entire film. It's also somewhat predictable. Long story short, 'Sherrybaby' would be nothing without Gyllenhaal's groundbreaking and tear-jerking performance. Grade: B

With 'SherryBaby', director Laurie Collyer depicts the 'lower class' culture through the story of Sherry Swanson, an ex-convict and former drug addict who attempts to rebuild her life and her relationship with her daughter. She finds that nothing is the way she left it and her brother and sister-in-law, who're now raising her daughter, have become strong parental figures and Sherry resents that and feels threatened. At the same time, she struggles to readjust in society, coping with her addiction, getting along with people and finding employment.

While the film touches on some heavy themes as it depicts Sherry's fight, it thankfully doesn't go into full depressive tearjerking mode. At the same time, 'SherryBaby' is almost devoid of humour. Through Sherry's perspective, the viewer witnesses how difficult it can be for the 'lower class' Americans to get by with decency and how they're easily judged and blamed.

'SherryBaby' works best as a character-driven piece. Through subtlety, director Laurie Collyer and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal portray the abnormal relationship she has with her sleazy father. While, on the outside, Sherry is a not-to-be messed with tough chick especially around other women, and an 'easy lay' to men, her vulnerability and helplessness are confronted in her private moments and sometimes in the scenes with Dean.

'SherryBaby' showcases Maggie Gyllenhaal's acting as she delivers yet another tour-du-force performance with her down-to-earth portrayal of the title character. It's a very balanced performance that appears natural on screen and the actress depicts the character's frailty, frustration, confusion with excellent conviction. The supporting cast is very good too, especially Danny Trejo (who is cast against type) and Brad William Henke as the brother who's trying to do what's best for his niece while giving his sister a second chance.

'SherryBaby' is a sincere effort on the director's part. She captures the realness of Sherry's circumstances very effectively but it is her leading actress that very much leads the film carrying it off with a transcendent performance.