Argumentative August #48 – A Cry in the Dark (1988) – MovieRob

Ryan and I would like to once again welcome you to another review for our Argumentative August Blogathon.

 

This next film, A Cry in the Dark (1988) is being reviewed by me.

 

Let’s see what I thought of this movie….

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“Look, Mr. Barker. I wasn’t there. I can only go on the evidence of my own eyes. We’re talking about my baby daughter… not some object!” – Lindy Chamberlain

Number of Times Seen – 1 (2 Aug 2015)

Brief Synopsis – While on a family vacation, a couple’s 2 month old daughter disappears and they believe she was taken by wild dogs, but are they telling the truth or not? Based on a true story.

My Take on it – As a father who has an infant daughter, this movie and it’s story is really harrowing to try and comprehend.

I have always heard about this movie and it’s famous line (see trivia below) but I never really had much desire to see this at all.

This blogathon, gave me the chance to finally take a look at it and my conclusion is simple; it’s a very good movie and story, but also very disturbing to watch because of the themes and the “ideas” of both sides of the argument as to what happened.

Being that my family is going on vacation next week, makes me even more scared after having watched this movie.

The fact that it is true makes it even more difficult to digest what transpired.

Sam Niell and Meryl Streep are both great here as the parents and based on what I’ve subsequently read about this event, they both seem to have adapted quite well to their character’s personas both in front of and behind the camera.

Basically, this is a good movie, but because of it’s difficult subject matter, I doubt that I will ever rush to see it again.

Bottom Line – Not an easy film to watch as a parent and the fact that it is based on truth makes it even more difficult.  Streep and Niell are both great as the parents and they give off the kind of impression that we are meant to get based on the real life personas of their characters. Not something I would rush to see again, but I’m glad I finally saw it. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Despite the popularity of the phrase “The dingo ate my baby!” and its association with this film, that line is never actually spoken in the movie. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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