Posted: 09/29/2006

Sherrybaby

(2006)

by Anna Keizer

The plot of Sherrybaby is pretty straightforward. A twenty-something woman, just released from prison, tries to make a new life for herself on the outside.

And that’s about it.

Without a doubt, the film doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality of how difficult it must be to start over after serving time. Despite Sherry’s initial enthusiastic attitude as a woman ready for a second chance at life, the odds are most certainly stacked against her. Her neighborhood comes with easy access to drugs. Her home is filled with confrontational roommates. Her family seems less than totally supportive of her newfound freedom. Yet these obstacles come second to Sherry’s own self-destructive behavior. As the film continued, I began to wonder, “What exactly is the message here?”

The title of the film is apt, as Sherry evidently has the mentality of someone half her age. She both acts and speaks without regard to the consequences, truly ignorant of how her behavior might be contributing to her difficult circumstances. Yes, the film makes clear that Sherry is seen by virtually all men, including her own father, as merely a sexual object to exploit. However, little sympathy can be garnered for someone, now an adult and mother, who uses that sexuality to her advantage when convenient for either pleasure or profit. In the end, I simply felt manipulated by the film’s attempt to evoke compassion for Sherry by continually showing her victimization over and over again.

However, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s performance is fearless. I may not have connected with this character, but regardless, Gyllenhaal unflinchingly puts herself out there. She bravely depicts a character that is not entirely likeable, but rather a woman who complicates her already complicated life with terrible decision-making. And despite Sherry’s fierce love of her daughter, she cares for Alexis as a child would care for a doll. The girl only matters to Sherry when someone else wants her. Case in point is Alexis’ birthday party. A little boy opens one of her gifts, and in retaliation, Alexis pushes him and begins to cry, “That’s my present!” In the same way, Sherry feels entitled to her daughter simply due to the fact that she is her birth mother. That she has been absent from her daughter’s life up to this point, moreover because of theft, drugs and jail time, doesn’t matter to this woman. And although Sherry’s brother and sister-in-law have been taking care of their niece for the past three years, once Sherry is released, she wants Alexis back. Yet the little girl naturally seems to prefer her aunt and uncle to her own mother, and this only fuels Sherry further in wanting her daughter all to herself, despite what may be best for her child.

Overall, the film failed to capture my sympathy or interest. I’ll admit, I was initially curious to see what would happen to this woman now that she had her freedom and family again. After an hour, though, of being pulled along to witness the many tribulations that she suffered, many of them brought on by herself, I was done. The only reason I was still in my seat was to watch Gyllenhaal’s bold performance. If you’re a fan of her work, it’s worth a trip to the theater. If not, you can sit this one out and not lose sleep over it.

Anna Keizer is a film critic and screenwriter living in Los Angeles.

Got a problem? E-mail us at filmmonthly@gmail.com