Claire Dolan (1998)

A high-priced call girl, shocked by her mother's death, decides to get out of the business and have a baby. The steps that she takes to free herself from her pimp and find a father for the baby are the central story of this movie.

Director:

Lodge Kerrigan

Writer:

Lodge Kerrigan

Stars:

Katrin Cartlidge, Vincent D'Onofrio, Colm Meaney

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Claire Dolan
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Elton Garrett
Colm Meaney	...	Roland Cain
Patrick Husted	...	George
Muriel Maida	...	Claire's Mum
Madison Arnold	...	Priest
Jim Frangione	...	Man In Bar
Ed Hodson	...	Driver
Sean Powers	...	Driver's Friend
Sally Stark	...	Waitress at Newark diner
Maryann Plunkett	...	Mary Egan
Sarah Rose Hendrickson	...	Siobhan, Mary's daughter
Candy Buckley	...	Salon client 1
Lizbeth MacKay	...	Administrator
Svetlana Jovanovich	...	Eva

Storyline

Claire Dolan is an Irish immigrant, working as a Manhattan call girl, paying off a debt she owes her pimp, Roland Cain. She's almost without affect, much like the sterile, glass-and-concrete high-rises where she lives and works. Violence lurks just below the surface. Cain can be menacing as are men who approach her. When her mother dies, Claire tries to escape the life, moving to Newark, visiting a cousin, working as a manicurist, realizing that she wants to have a baby, and going out a couple of times with a cabby. But Cain finds her and insists on payment, so she returns to Manhattan. The cabby wants to help: can Claire leave prostitution and find happiness in motherhood?

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Plot Keywords:

baby | pimp | debt | girl | violence | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

18 November 1998 (France)

Also Known As:

To onoma tis: Claire Dolan

Filming Locations:

Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$939 (USA) (18 August 2000)

Gross:

$9,480 (USA) (3 November 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, Serene Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Don't Say Nothing at All"
Written by Dinah Washington, Juanita Hill
Performed by Dinah Washington

User Reviews

Epitomizes the suppressed urges of life

One's first impression might be that the characters and scenes in this movie are simply too cold and emotionless. However, a careful study reveals the "seething" emotions going on in each player; from the pimp Cain who "seethes" with a misogynistic disdain of the women working for him to Elton (played with excellence by Vincent D'Onofrio) who seethes with longing to fulfill something greater in life than just being a cab driver (the attempted mugging scene whereafter he breaks down is just superb!). I think that the final two scenes of the movie--one between a "converted", pregnant Claire being approached by a former john, the other between the Cain and Elton with his wife -- excellently display the tormented, soulful emotions of the characters involved in this story.