Amber Tamblyn, Denis O'Hare, Jim Gaffigan

16-year-old Stephanie Daley (Amber Tamblyn) is hospitalized unexpectedly during a school fieldtrip while, in a nearby public restroom, a dead newborn is discovered. Faced with charges of murder, Steph...( read more  read more... )anie claims she never knew she was pregnant and that the child was stillborn. Forensic psychologist Lydie Crane (Tilda Swinton) is hired to determine the truth behind Stephanie’s continuing state of denial. Coincidentally, Lydie is herself pregnant and struggles with an impending fear that her marriage and her pregnancy is in jeopardy. Her intuition intensifies with each session with Stephanie and she soon believes that unraveling the teenager's mystery is somehow crucial to her own fate.

Flixster Users

51% liked it

48,133 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

48 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Hilary Brougher

Release Date: January 21, 2006

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DVD Release Date: September 4, 2007

Stats: 616 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (616)


  • August 2, 2007
    Different than what I was thinking it was going to be like, but it was still good. Plus, I enjoyed watching the confused looks on the people that went with me. They didn't like the ending. FUNNY! Love Amber, so that also counted for a lot.
  • December 7, 2008
    Every now and then, a small film that comes out of nowhere (read : out of Sundance) arrives and blows you away. Stephanie Daley is that film.

    What makes it so successful is that Hilary Brougher's masterful film plays the honesty card instead of humping the melodramatic trappi...( read more)ngs. Don't get me wrong : it's utterly joyless, and more than once there are women that break down and cry. But the strength of the subject matter mixed with the enormous empathy for both its lead characters never, ever pull down the film-- the writing ensures that we constantly want to know more, and the directing gives us plenty of insight into Stephanie and Lydie's lives. Oddly enough, not too much is spoken-- before THE horrific event, Stephanie's only tragedy was that she used to be sadly ordinary. Lydie's pregnancy is narratively unimportant, but the weight it occupies in the film is tremendous. With just a quick closeup or by staging perfectly normal happenings, Brougher leads us right at the core of two brilliant character studies.

    Sure, Stephanie's story seems to change slightly every time she shows up for forensic analysis. Down the line, we have to wonder: has the event made her insane... or is she just a teen? When so much of your daily existence, navigating teachers, friends, boys, parents-- all of which are wisely shown just enough of to humanize Stephanie, without ever explaining her-- revolves around pretending to be something and/or someone you're not, it takes a certain kind of skill to unpeel your layers and know which ones to throw out. Also : the ending is perfectly delivered. No icing on the cake here-- the final words resonate along with the music, and haunt you like the rest of the film.

    Obviously, the film would not have worked as well as it did without the immense power of the performances. Starting with the fantastic-as-ever Swinton, who brings a mesmerizing intimacy to her role, the characters are so well-written that only pros could handle them. Tamblyn, one of the most engaging actresses of her generation, makes her character almost simultaneously embody pain, terror, anguish, embarrassment, regret and just about any emotion you can think of-- it's not an easy task, especially when those grueling feelings are far from externalized. She succeeds, and knocks it out of the park without acting up a storm. I raise my hat-- this is, hands down, one of the best performances I've seen in my life, and Stephanie wouldn't even qualify as the lead character.

    People will surely talk about the labor scene... of course, it's as gut wrenching and emotionally draining as anything I've ever seen. But the takeaway image of the scene (and, come to think of it, the film itself) is a long, agonizing shot of Amber Tamblyn's face, seen through the cracks between the wall and door of a public restroom stall. If you walked into the theater by mistake during that shot, you'd think you'd stepped into a horror film.

    When you fully grasp the weight of what Brougher has put her heroine through, you realise that you're not far off from a horror movie.
  • October 22, 2009
    I got that happy feeling that I get once in awhile when I see an outstanding movie that reaffirms my love of film. Quite a feat considering the heavy subject matter.
    Simply brilliant performances by Tilda Swinton and Amber Tamblyn. Writer/director Hilary Brougher treats the subj...( read more)ect matter with incredible sensitivity and paints everything with shades of grey.
    Excellent supporting cast as well. It was interesting to see comedian Jim Gaffigan take on a serious role as Stephanie's father. Also noteable is Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo as Stephanie's mother.
    It was just lovely to see such complex roles created for women.
  • April 4, 2009
    Interesting, but wouldn't watch again
  • December 11, 2008
    this sounds really good
  • December 9, 2008
    A great Movie!!! Very Touching, not bad. Barely any cussing, maybe 1 bad part. It has a very good message, and is a must see.
  • July 13, 2008
    amber tamlin is a schoolgirl unknowingly pregnant, killing it in shock, when it suddenly miscarriges and shes delt holding it in a toilet, and tilda swinton as a physcologoist dealing with her to determin in court if she was in a capable state, focusing on the teens pre pregnant ...( read more)state and aftermath, and swintons own personal demons with her own life. some great performaces from the two, a typical indie american effort, quite edgy looking, and a story although not focusing on eventual trial, is engageing enough
  • July 3, 2008
    I like Tilda Swinton and the stories of Stephanie and Lydie that went side by side worked pretty well and the way they connected was enough to hold my attention. Still, the whole thing about pregnancy-abortion gets a little tiring. It reminded me of 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. ...( read more)And not in a good way.

Critic Reviews


June 1, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

You are likely to be discussing this film long into the night. full review

April 26, 2007
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

With a calmness that bespeaks confidence, this small, spellbinding second feature by Hilary Brougher brings together two women, trapped in separate states of denial and distress, who manage to end eac... full review

April 20, 2007
Kyle Smith, New York Post

The movie amounts to an extended short story that progresses slowly and fades away with key questions unanswered. Ambiguity isn't necessarily interesting. full review

View more Stephanie Daley reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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