By Marta Jary
When the gruesome remains of a dead runaway are discovered, several women’s lives are spun into uncharted territory. Arden (Toni Collette), who finds the body, uses the shattering experience as a means of breaking free of her abusive mother (Piper Laurie). Leah (Rose Byrne), a medical examiner’s intern, convinces herself that the body in her care is the sister she lost fifteen years earlier. Meanwhile, the dead girl’s mother, Melora (Marsha Gay Harden) delves into the darkness of her daughter’s undoing through Rosetta (Kerry Washington), a young prostitute. At the end of this black rainbow is Krista (Brittany Murphy), whose life and death poses a painful question about the futility of fate.
In assembling such an impressive cast of female actors, writer/director Karen Moncrieff (the little seen Blue Car and The Trials Of Cate McCall), has made light work of constructing six comprehensive female characters, each of which comes with a weight of history and emotion that rings devastatingly true. There is no weakest link in this ensemble – every character lives and breathes with a gutful of brimming emotion in her own neat vignette, and these women’s interwoven stories and journeys each stand on their own. Its punch and structure makes the film somewhat comparable to an all-girl Babel with a hint of Twin Peaks’ little girls lost, though one sag in the plot almost pushes towards a telemovie-style brand of sentiment.
Nonetheless, the journey of these women – through both unwaveringly raw portrayals punctuated by challenging, decisive storytelling thanks to a largely shattering script – makes for an experience that is consistently moving, relatable and that even in its darkness speaks of the transforming way in which the past colours the future, for better or worse.
