6.9/10
8,111
52 user 20 critic

A Cry in the Dark (1988)

Evil Angels (original title)
PG-13 | | Biography , Drama | 11 November 1988 (USA)
A Cry in the Dark Poster
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) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Dale Reeves | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

Watch Now

From $2.99 (SD) on Prime Video

ON DISC
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 17 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Silkwood (1983)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A worker at a plutonium processing plant is purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing worker safety violations at the plant.

Director: Mike Nichols
Stars: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher
Next »
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she is forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.

Director: Mike Nichols
Stars: Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid
Next »
Ironweed (1987)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his home town of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.

Director: Hector Babenco
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker
Next »
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A film is being made of a story, set in 19th century England, about Charles, a biologist who's engaged to be married, but who falls in love with outcast Sarah, whose melancholy makes her ... See full summary »

Director: Karel Reisz
Stars: Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Hilton McRae
Next »
Plenty (1985)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A young Englishwoman spends twenty years to make whatever kind of life for herself, at the expense of others around her, in post-World War II England.

Director: Fred Schepisi
Stars: Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, André Maranne
Next »
One True Thing (1998)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.

Director: Carl Franklin
Stars: Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, William Hurt
Next »
Heartburn (1986)
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A food writer pregnant with her second baby finds out her husband is having an affair.

Director: Mike Nichols
Stars: Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels
Next »
Music of the Heart (1999)
Drama | Music
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

Story of a schoolteacher's struggle to teach violin to inner-city Harlem kids.

Director: Wes Craven
Stars: Meryl Streep, Cloris Leachman, Henry Dinhofer
Next »
Before and After (1996)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Stars: Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong
Next »
Falling in Love (1984)
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

During shopping for Christmas, Frank and Molly run into each other. This fleeting short moment will start to change their lives, when they recognize each other months later in the train ... See full summary »

Director: Ulu Grosbard
Stars: Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Harvey Keitel
Next »
Still of the Night (1982)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A Manhattan psychiatrist probes a patient's murder and falls for the victim's mysterious mistress.

Director: Robert Benton
Stars: Roy Scheider, Meryl Streep, Jessica Tandy
Next »
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stingo, the ... See full summary »

Director: Alan J. Pakula
Stars: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol
Edit

Cast

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

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. Written by Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

dingo | australian outback | wrongful imprisonment | religious prejudice | religious persecution | See All (124) »

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Biography | Drama

Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1988 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

A Cry in the Dark See more »

Filming Locations:

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia See more »
Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,908,797
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Entertainment,Golan-Globus Productions,Cinema Verity See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Meryl Streep has never revealed publicly her opinion on whether or not Lindy Chamberlain was innocent. See more »

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. See more »

Quotes

Lindy Chamberlain: [after being released from prison] Hello Kahlia. Hello darling. Don't you look lovely - such a pretty dress.
Kahlia, 4 years: [Shy] Mummy made it in gaol.
Michael Chamberlain: This is Mummy, darling. She's back.
Kahlia, 4 years: Real mummy?
Michael Chamberlain: Real mummy.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Kangaroo Jack (2003) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
A Very Emotional Story
10 May 2006 | by ccthemovieman-1 – See all my reviews

This is an extremely-powerful based-on-a-true story film that can be infuriating to watch. I say that because how brutal a hounding press can be to people, in this case an innocent Australian couple charged with killing their baby.

Meryl Streep received a lot of recognition for her performance when this film came out but I thought Sam Neill was just as good. Let's just say they both were excellent but the role was little harder for Streep because she had to learn an Australian accent. (She learned it so well I had trouble understanding her in parts.)

Without giving anything away, all I can say is this movie will wear you out emotionally.
20 of 29 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 52 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Comedy Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular comedy titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed