A Cry in the Dark (1988)

A mother whose child was killed in a dingo attack in the Australian Outback fights to prove her innocence when she is accused of murder.

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers:

John Bryson (novel), Robert Caswell (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Dale Reeves

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Lindy
Sam Neill	...	Michael
Dale Reeves	...	Aidan, 6 years
David Hoflin	...	Aidan, 8 years
Jason Reason	...	Aidan, 11 years
Michael Wetter	...	Reagan, 4 years
Kane Barton	...	Reagan, 6 years
Trent Roberts	...	Reagan, 9 years
Lauren Shepherd	...	Azaria
Bethany Ann Prickett	...	Azaria
Alison O'Connell	...	Azaria
Aliza Dason	...	Azaria
Jane Coker	...	Kahlia, new born
Rae-Leigh Henson	...	Kahlia, 18 months
Nicolette Minster	...	Kahlia, 4 years

Storyline

Based on the true story of Lindy Chamberlain. During a camping trip to Ayers Rock in outback Australia, she claimed that she witnessed a dingo stealing her baby daughter, Azaria, from the family tent. Azaria's body was never found. Police noted some apparent inconsistencies in her story, and she was charged with murder. The case attracted a lot of attention, turning an investigation into a media circus, with the public divided in their opinions.

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Plot Keywords:

dingo | australian outback | wrongful imprisonment | religious prejudice | religious persecution | 

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Taglines:

A family torn apart. A public filled with outrage. A woman accused of murder.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evil Angels

Filming Locations:

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,561,793, 13 November 1988

Gross USA:

$6,908,797

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,908,797

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Entertainment, Golan-Globus Productions, Cinema Verity

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 122 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lindy Chamberlain refers to a case in which expert testimony wrongly sent three boys to prison. She's referring to the 1972 murder of Maxwell Confait in southeast London. Confait, 26, was strangled, and the building in which he lived was burned down. Eighteen-year-old Colin Lattimore, 15-year-old Ronnie Leighton, and 14-year-old Ahmet Salih were arrested and charged with murder and arson. All three had alibis, but three prominent forensic pathologists testified to the time of death. One, Dr. Cameron, changed his mind on the stand, and said Confait could have died at a time when the boys were not covered by their alibis. The boys were convicted and sentenced to prison. Two years later, the convictions were overturned. It turned out that Confait had been dead for more than 48 hours before the fire, and the forensic pathologists were wrong about the fire speeding up the on-set of rigor mortis. In 1980, Douglas Franklin was found to be the true murderer.

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Goofs

In the end credits, the movie's copyright year is 1988. In Roman numerals, it would be MCMLXXXVIII. Instead, the year is MCMLXXXIII, 1983.

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Quotes

Michael Chamberlain: No, you're right, it's exactly the same model as mine.
Les Smith: Have a look at what Webber found under the dash!

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Connections

Referenced in Supernatural: Mystery Spot (2008)

User Reviews

Good movie overall, but the acting is outstanding.

Meryl Streep was incredible in this film. She has an amazing knack for accents, and she shows incredible skill in this film overall. I really felt for her when Lindy was being persecuted. She was played realistically, too. She got cranky, upset, and unpleasant as the media and the government continued their unrelenting witchhunt. I didn't expect much from the film initially, but I really got interested in it, and the movie is based on a real person and real events. It turned out to be better than I had anticipated. Sam Neill was also outstanding; this is the best work I've seen from him, and I've really liked him in other movies (The Piano, for example). I gave the film a 7, but if I could rate just the acting, I'd give the it a 9.5, and a perfect 10 for Streep.