Dolores Claiborne
Synopsis: A woman is accused of murdering her disabled employer by the town's detective, who holds a grudge against her because he couldn't prove her involvement in the death of her husband years before.
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Review
Dolores Claiborne works as a maid for one the town’s richest women, an elderly and disabled lady. When the woman is found dead while she was alone with Dolores detective Mackey accuses her of murder. Some 20 years ago the same detective investigated the death of Dolores’ husband and even though he was sure Dolores killed him he could not prove it, so this time he will make sure she pays for both crimes. Dolores’ daughter Selena reluctantly comes back to town when she finds out that her mother is in trouble, but the two do not have a good relationship and the encounter triggers painful memories, many of which are also related to the events that lead to Dolores’ husband death.
The story is told in two parallel timelines, the events that occur in the present are smoothly combined with fragments of the past. The characters are complex and believable, the film takes great care in exploring them with great detail. Kathy Bates shines as Dolores Claiborne, a role that fits her perfectly. The rest of the cast is also excellent, in particular David Straithairn as the always drunk husband, and Judy Parfitt as Vera, the rich woman who dies at the beginning of the movie and reappears, much younger, in the flashback scenes. The role of Selena is well handled by Jennifer Jason Leigh in the present time, and by Ellen Muth in the flashbacks.
Dolores Claiborne is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. There are no ghosts or vampires in this tale, this is one of a few dramatic stories that King has written outside of the genre that gave him fame and wealth, and one can only hope that at least once in a while he will continue producing work of this quality.
©2008 by Miguel Grinberg
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