A Cry in the Dark

1988

Action / Biography / Drama

12
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 94% · 33 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 73% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.9/10 10 11162 11.2K

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Plot summary

Based on the true story of Lindy Chamberlain who, during a family camping trip to Ayers Rock in central Australia, claimed she witnessed a dingo take her baby daughter, Azaria, from their tent. Azaria's body was never found and, after investigations and two public inquests, she is charged with murder.


Uploaded by: FREEMAN
October 06, 2019 at 03:36 AM

Director

Top cast

Meryl Streep as Lindy
Sam Neill as Michael
Vincent Gil as Roff
Debra Lawrance as Sally Lowe
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
1.07 GB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
2 hr 0 min
Seeds 5
1.92 GB
1920*800
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
2 hr 0 min
Seeds 10

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by moonspinner55 7 / 10

Privately grieving mother of dead child tried in the court of public opinion

Excellent true-life drama from director and co-writer Fred Schepisi, adapting John Bryson's book "Evil Angels" with Robert Caswell, details the 1980 case of a nine-week-old baby allegedly carried off by a wild dingo at a camping site at Ayers Rock in the Northern territory of central Australia. The infant's parents, the Chamberlains, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor and his wife, cooperate with the authorities and give all the necessary print and television interviews--they, in fact, do everything asked of them--but their misunderstood religion coupled with Lindy Chamberlain's stoic demeanor turns the tide of public opinion against them, from sympathetic to vengeful. Everything about this private couple soon becomes suspect under the microscope, including the meaning of their child's name, Azaria, to the discovery of baby clothes in the Outback that had cuts on them but no teeth marks. Meryl Streep's riveting performance as Lindy is quite remarkable. This is a woman who hides the sadness in her eyes behind sunglasses, who has grieved until reaching a kind of jaded resolve--she quickly becomes as suspicious of the badgering legal and media figures as the public is of her. Schepisi's docudrama-styled take on the tragedy sweeping Australia is marvelously rendered, and all the performers, especially Sam Neill as husband Michael, do powerful work. A classy production from (surprise!) Golan-Globus and Cannon Entertainment resulted in a much-deserved Oscar nomination for Streep, affecting a realistic Aussie accent (no surprise there). *** from ****

Reviewed by ccthemovieman-1 8 / 10

A Very Emotional Story

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.

Reviewed by jboothmillard 6 / 10

A Cry in the Dark

I heard about the real-life story this film was based on when it was mentioned briefly on Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz, I was most interested to see it, from Golden Globe nominated director Fred Schepisi (The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Roxanne, Six Degrees of Separation, Fierce Creatures). Basically in Australia, deeply religious Lindy Chamberlain (Oscar nominated Meryl Streep), her Seventh Day Adventist pastor husband Michael (Sam Neill), their two sons, and their nine-week-old daughter Azaria are on a camping holiday. The family are in the Outback enjoying the landscape at Ayer's Rock. One night, the family are invited to a barbecue with some fellow campers, the baby is left sleeping in the tent with the door unzipped. During the barbecue, a cry is heard, Lindy returns to the tent and sees a dingo with something in its mouth run out. She is shocked to find that Azaria is missing, she realises that the wild dog must have taken the child. Everyone joins forces to search for the baby, without success, and the search continues across the Outback the following morning. A subsequent inquest rules her account of what happened to her child to be true. The story is released to the press, and public opinion soon turns against the Chamberlains, as their religious beliefs make them, especially Lindy, appear too stoic, too cold-hearted, and too accepting of the disaster that has befallen her. The couple's beliefs are not widely practised in the country, then an over-the-top rumours spreads, the public is quick to believe they decapitated their baby with a pair of scissors as part of a bizarre religious rite. Law-enforcement officials find new witnesses, forensics experts, and circumstantial evidence, including a small wooden coffin Michael uses for un-smoked cigarettes. The investigation is reopened, and Lindy is charged with murder. Seven months pregnant, she ignores her attorneys' advice, to get the jury's sympathy, and appears emotionless on the stand, convincing onlookers she is guilty of the crime of which she is accused. As the trial progresses, Michael's faith in his religion and his belief in his wife disintegrate, and he stumbles through his testimony, suggesting he is concealing the truth. In October 1982, Lindy is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Michael is also found guilty and given an eighteen-month suspended sentence. Over three years later, police are searching for the body of an English tourist in the Outback. A small item of clothing is discovered, it is identified as part of the clothing worn by baby Azaria, recovered early in the investigation. Lindy is immediately released from prison, the case is reopened, and all convictions against the Chamberlains are dropped. Also starring Bruce Myles as Ian Barker, Q.C., Captain Scarlet's Charles Tingwell as Justice James Muirhead, Nick Tate as Detective Graeme Charlwood, Neil Fitzpatrick as John Phillips, Q.C., Maurie Fields as Justice Denis Barritt and Lewis Fitz-Gerald as Stuart Tipple. Streep in her black wig with a convincing Australian accent does well as the tough, humourless woman, Neill is equally good as her gloomy husband, it is one of the "stranger than fiction" harrowing stories that was a big deal in the day, the film deals with many of the key elements, including the media circus and the court case, it is a bit TV-movie feel and slow at times, but an interesting biographical drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay. Good!

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