Sherrybaby
Tags: realism

Plot synopsis:
Sherry Swanson, a young woman who has recently been released from prison and is recovering from a heroin addiction, is trying to rebuild her life on the outside. Above all, she wants to repair her relationship with her young daughter, Alexis. She returns home to Jersey and goes to the halfway house where she will be staying. Before she can reunite with Alexis, she meets with her Parole officer who is very strict and direct with his expectations of her. He tells her that she needs to stay clean and get a job. While doing some chores around the house, Sherry meets the director of the recovery program and Sherry, knowing that he is attracted to her, sleeps with him in the basement. Afterwards, her brother Bobby picks her up to go see Alexis.
Alexis lives with Sherry's brother Bobby and his wife, Lynn. Her daughter immediately recognizes her and calls her "mommy," which warms Sherry's heart. She gives Alexis a few presents and talks to her about why she was away, saying that she stole from people for drugs. The halfway house where she lives proves to be more daunting as Sherry has tension with a fellow housemate, but finds solace in hanging her daughter's artwork she sent to Sherry in prison. She goes to a job interview and says that she wants to work with children as she took classes in prison, and also wants to be a better parent for her daughter. He rebuffs her telling her that a pretty girl like her should be a waitress, but can't since she has a history with alcohol and drugs. Obviously attracted to Sherry, she shows the director of the employment program her breasts and says that she will 'suck his dick' in order to get the job she wants. She does so. After her interview, she goes to an AA meeting and talks about the stress of life outside prison is making her want to use. She also meets Dean, a former alcoholic. He gives her a ride home and he tells her that he recognizes her from when she was a 16-year-old stripper at one of the local spots.
After calling her brother and faced with more excuses as to why she can't talk to Alexis, she gets into an altercation with another housemate. Upset, she leaves the house and catches a ride to her brother's place. She sleeps on their steps and Lynn finds her in the morning. There she sees Alexis getting ready for summer camp. While Lynn finishes getting Alexis ready for camp, Sherry talks to her brother Bobby about moving in because she feels the halfway house is like prison. He tells her that she can stay, but there can't be any drugs in the house. Alexis runs in to say goodbye as she is about to leave and calls Sherry by her name and not mommy, which she had done so earlier. Angered by Lynn's interference with her daughter, she punches the kitchen cabinet. Later that day, Sherry's father, Bob and his wife come over. Sherry is overwhelmingly glad to see her father and acts like a child trying to get his attention from Alexis to her. They share a kiss and an inappropriate embrace which makes the family uncomfortable. They all have burgers around the table together and Bob hands Sherry a beer. She drinks it even though she is on parole. She decides to sing for everyone, obviously for her father's attention. Later while playing with Alexis, Lynn and Sherry have a confrontation. Sherry yells at her and tells her that she is confusing her with the name switches and accuses her of being jealous. Bobby gives Sherry some cash and drives her to a hotel saying that there are too many people in the house. Sherry berates him and reminds him that she is his sister, not a charity case.
While at the hotel, she cuts and dyes her hair brown. She also calls Dean while drinking and asks him to come over. The two sleep together and talk. The next day, she meets with her parole officer and faces a body search. She yells at them saying that she is stronger than they think. Her parole officer tells her that she has gotten a job at a local youth center. She is ecstatic and thanks him. After her first shift with the kids at the center, she goes to Dean's house, but much to her dismay he has another woman in his house. Unknown to Sherry, her parole officer is following her. She goes to a liquor store and comes back. The two talk more and Dean tells her that he does like her. Later at the hotel, Sherry calls Bobby asking to talk to Alexis. He gives her another excuse, but tells her that they are having a birthday party for her. Sherry says that she will be there and hangs up.
Before the party, she goes shopping for presents for Alexis. Dean gives her a ride to Bobby's but they aren't at the house. Flustered, she asks Dean to drive to her father's house. Bobby greets her and asks why she is late. She is greeted by her father who hands her a drink and Sherry then gives her gifts to Alexis. She is happy and thanks Sherry. Another child opens one of her gifts and Alexis yells at him that they are her presents as she starts to cry. Lynn picks her up and brings all the kids to the other room for musical chairs. Upset, Sherry breaks down to her dad saying that everyone is trying to keep Alexis away from her and she doesn't know what to do. Her father tells her to give it some time as she leans on him. He slowly caresses her breasts and kisses her shoulder, insinuating that Bob sexually abused Sherry as a child, which is why she turned to drugs. Her brother sees this and turns away. Disgusted with herself and her father, she flees. Sherry then relapses. She buys heroin and snorts it in her hotel room. She then uses the rest of her money to buy more drugs and shoots up with a stranger. In the morning, she wanders into an AA meeting and meets Dean. He knows that she is messed up and takes back to his place. He burns sage around her and draws her a bath.
The next morning, Dean wakes her and tells her that she needs to stop being so selfish and if so, maybe Alexis with come to her on her own. She goes to work and sings with the kids at the center and goes back to her hotel. Her parole officer is waiting for her and asks what is going on. Sherry tells him that she isn't clean and he berates her about how she wants to be clean, but she doesn't want to do the work and she wants her daughter back, but she doesn't want to do the work. He tells her that she will have to be admitted to a hospital to get clean since she doesn't qualify to be an out patient. He tells her to take the weekend to say goodbye to her family and Monday he will take her in.
Later, she meets with her brother. He tells her that he hasn't forgotten that she is his sister and that he wants her and Alexis to build a relationship. She calls him a snake and says that she can't trust him because of Lynn and his actions against her with Alexis. He reminds her that they love Alexis and the only reason they have her is because of Sherry. She asks to take Alexis out by herself so she isn't afraid of Sherry anymore. He agrees.
Sherry packs her suitcase and goes to pick up Alexis, who is unwilling to go. Sherry holding it together, doesn't argue with Lynn as Bobby packs Alexis into the car. Alexis is insistent on not going and starts to cry, but Bobby reassures her that this her chance to get to know her mother. Sherry drives off and crosses state lines into Delaware with Alexis, which is a violation of her parole. The two stop for food and while going waiting on line for the bathroom, Sherry witnesses another mother yelling and cursing at her child. Sherry grabs her by the hair and tells her that she is lucky to have her kid, threatens her and calls her a bully. As she turns around, Alexis is gone. Sherry finds her in the bath stall crying as she wet her pants. She carries her to the car and changes her pants. Sherry asks Alexis to say that she loves her and she does so.
Realizing that her daughter doesn't actually love her and in some ways is scared of her, Sherry drives back to Jersey and drops Alexis off with Bobby and Lynn. She talks with Bobby outside and tells him that she actually can't take of Alexis by herself. She asks him to help and he agrees. Sherry then drives off.

Review: Gyllenhaal gives her best performance to date as Sherry, a heroin addict/thief on parole who struggles to stay clean and re-kindle a relationship with her estranged five-year-old daughter.
'Sherrybaby' is not an easy movie to watch, it's painfully realistic and I felt incredibly embarrassed by Gyllenhaal's Sherry through-out the entire film.
While at Sundance watching this film, I was sitting near two woman that were adult probation officers and they stated that the movie was very realistic and thought the Director did a great job of capturing what woman go thru after they are released from prison.
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays recently-paroled addict Sherry Swanson, an East Coast single mom struggling to stay clean and get to know her estranged pre-teen daughter whose been living with Sherry's brother.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is one of America's finest actors and in SHERRY BABY she pulls out a performance that is gut wrenching, painful to watch, but is a character we are rooting for throughout the film.
The one scene in the film with the father at the birthday party will stay with me forever, as now you can fully understand her anguish and pain.Maggie Gyllenhaal should be remembered at Award Season as her Sherry is a character that stays with you for a long time, and is someone that makes you want to like, respect and help her secure a new life.
The rehabilitation of an ex-convict can provide juicy stories so this should be no exception, as glamorous, short-skirted jailbird Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal from 'The Secretary') leaves prison yearning desperately to be re-united with her young and very lovable child Alexis.
The telling of the story tries hard not to follow conventions and seems to have considerable integrity, yet by building high expectations it can almost not fail to charm and disappoint in equal measure.With a beautiful background song, 'Some Kind of Heaven', we join Sherry as she starts parole and arrives at a half-way house, bible in hand, full of excitement and hope.
She has worked hard to reform herself during her incarceration, kicking drugs, studying parenting courses, developing her faith, and now has a beautiful warm smile that melts cold hearts; but just when you might worry about being subjected to an hour and a half of saccharin, she snaps when pushed, swears copiously, threatens a fellow ex-con that pushes her around and, when the employment manager looks set to consign her to waiting tables in a restaurant, tells him frankly, "I'll suck your dick if you give me the job I want." Starting a new life and getting back with her daughter proves hard as events conspire around her.
Sherry's problem is maybe that she wants to 'reform' only to the extent she deems necessary to raise her child, but her comprehension of the task facing is like someone looking through a keyhole.Realistic fly-on-the-wall performances prevent Sherrybaby from descending into a sentimental hard luck story.
It's a tough subject definitely not easy to swallow, but w-d Laurie Collyer's film reinforced by a fearless performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal is worth appreciating.
Yes, I believe the young child actor (Ryan Simpkins) portraying her daughter Alexis is remarkable, but Ms. Gyllenhaal's Sherry Swanson character inhabited stays.
There are also steady supporting cast from Danny Trejo as 12-step veteran/eventual friend Dean, Giancarlo Esposito as the firm (though not without heart) Parole Officer Hernandez, Bridget Barkan as Bobby's wife Lynette (whom Alexis gotten used to and grew to love), Samuel Bottoms as Dad Swanson (not an easy distinction of the father-daughter relationship at first glance).
Together, filmmaker Laurie Collyer and actor Maggie Gyllenhaal gave us a worthwhile "SherryBaby" - it may not be pleasant for everyone (NFE) but it dares - not reticent in telling like it is.This film does remind me of w-d Olivier Assayas' "Clean" 2004, the French production with Maggie Cheung and Nick Nolte, also about a (drug/prison) rehabilitated mother trying to redeem herself and gain back her son's faith.
Both provide incisive looks into the hardscrabble existence of people trying desperately to reform, but in doing so, the stories become so desultory and the situations start to have a by-the-numbers feeling that the dramatic momentum dissipates toward their inevitable conclusions.Directed and written by Laurie Collyer, the film takes an unflinching look at Sherry Swanson, a former heroin addict just released on parole after three years in prison for robbery.
Brad William Henke provides solid support as Bobby, as does Bridget Barkan as Lynette, Danny Trejo as a supportive fellow addict, Giancarlo Esposito as Sherry's hardened parole officer, and ebullient little Ryan Simpkins as Alexis.
Whether it was the support of Dean or just her rationale catching up with her, she triumphs at the end of the film by doing what is best for her daughter and ultimately herself.I thought it was a beautiful and heartfelt performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
SherryBaby (2006) *** (out of 4) A woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) returns home after three years in prison in hopes of starting up a relationship with her young daughter but things aren't as easy as she thought they'd be.
Gyllenhaal is very well supported by a strong cast that also includes Giancarlo Esposito as a tough parole officer, Sam Bottoms as Sherry's father, Kate Burton as the fathers' wife, and Danny Trejo, veteran of bad ass roles, who shows more sensitivity and depth in a change of pace part.Overall, a reasonably engaging indie drama that does have its heart in the right place.Seven out of 10..
With 'SherryBaby', director Laurie Collyer depicts the 'lower class' culture through the story of Sherry Swanson, an ex-convict and former drug addict who attempts to rebuild her life and her relationship with her daughter.
At the same time, she struggles to readjust in society, coping with her addiction, getting along with people and finding employment.While the film touches on some heavy themes as it depicts Sherry's fight, it thankfully doesn't go into full depressive tearjerking mode.
While, on the outside, Sherry is a not-to-be messed with tough chick especially around other women, and an 'easy lay' to men, her vulnerability and helplessness are confronted in her private moments and sometimes in the scenes with Dean.'SherryBaby' showcases Maggie Gyllenhaal's acting as she delivers yet another tour-du-force performance with her down-to-earth portrayal of the title character.
Once more Maggie Gyllenhaal has done an impressive performance for SherryBaby, in fact she is the one that power the movie all the time.This film is about the life of one ex-prisoner that leaves jail with only one thing of mind, reunite with her daughther.
Maggie Gyllenhaa is not a one of this ficcion-prisoner-mother, Laurie Collyer did a very good job writing the movie looking at the current situation and I think he reaches the target by showing a yound mother has been kept in jail because she was a kind of next-door-drugdealer.The film itself is a day to day after prison, and how this skinny girl try her best to get what she wants but always finding some one infront of her.
But director Laurie Collyer played it straight, giving the film a good boost of authenticity.Movies like this usually aren't my bag at all.
But after watching it, sadly, this is about the only two things it has.SherryBaby is about Sherry (Gyllenhaal), a former drug addict, who is fresh from jail and trying to restart her life.
Wow, Maggie Gyllenhaal is absolutely brilliant in this as an ex-junkie who upon release from jail tries to turn her life around and get custody of her young daughter that barely knows her.Sherrybaby is a gritty, unflinching indie film that surprised me.
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the titular character, Sherry Swanson, who is released from prison and sets about trying to get her life back together and patch things up with the young daughter she lost.However, Sherry has a few personal demons that won't seem to let her go entirely straight.
As the story progresses, we learn more about her past and, even though it's not spelt out to us, can put together what made her that way.Sherrybaby is worth seeing if you enjoy poignant film-making that really gets you to root for a damaged character and makes you want to see them succeed despite the odds.I won't go into too many plot points, as I don't want to give too much away, but, as I said earlier, it does deal with numerous 'hard-hitting' topics.
Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Sherry Swanson, a young woman who is paroled from prison after serving time for drug abuse charges.
I cannot say enough about the performance of Maggie Gyllenhaal in this film written and directed by Laurie Collyer.Gyllenhaal (Stranger Than Fiction, Secretary) was magnificent in her portrayal of a drug addict trying to rehabilitate her life and regain custody of her daughter.
Rarely have I seen a performer more completely inhabit a role than Maggie Gyllenhaal does in "Sherrybaby," an exquisitely realized drama that hits nary a single false note en route to its heartrending climax.Sherry Swanson is a recovering heroin addict who has, as she herself puts it, "made all the wrong choices in life." Now out on parole and living in a halfway house in Northern New Jersey, Sherry finally has the chance to make things right both in her own life and with the young daughter she was forced to give up to her brother and sister-in-law when she went into rehab and prison.
Sherry is a survivor, but one whose hold on life is often a precarious and tenuous one even at the best of times - and these are clearly not the best of times.The beautiful thing about "Sherrybaby" is how, in her first full-length fictional film, writer/director Laurie Collyer allows the drama to unfold naturally, never pushing the material in any particular direction just to make a point.
There is also exceptional work by Brad William Henke, Bridget Barkin, Danny Trejo, Sam Bottoms, Giancarlo Esposito, and, above all, Ryan Simpkins, who, at the tender age of seven, is already a powerhouse of acting talent as Sherry's beloved daughter, Alexis.Naturalism in both performance and atmosphere is what makes "Sherrybaby" such a compelling and convincing movie-watching experience.
Maggie Gyllenhaal delivers a committed, authentic performance as a woman who must come to terms with her own lack of ability to take control of her life in this modest but effective drama.Sherry, recently on parole from her prison stint for, as she tells the daughter who doesn't even recognize her as a mother, "taking things from people to get money for drugs," returns to her home in New Jersey to get clean and straighten herself out.
Through Sherry's interactions with her family -- we also see her reconnect with her dad and his new wife -- we learn more about how Sherry ended up the way she did and to what degree the cards are stacked against her."SherryBaby" feels like a hundred other films that are just like it, little personal indie dramas about dysfunctional people who make terrible decisions in their struggle to take control of their lives.
She brings subtlety and nuance to this character -- just watch her face when her daughter calls her Sherry instead of mom for the first time, or the quietly heartbreaking ending, where she learns a hard truth about herself that is nonetheless necessary if she is to get on with her life.
It is a subtle character arc, and may leave some viewers wanting more.The odds are heavily stacked against Sherry - she faces men who want to exploit her sexually, women in the half-way house that want to pick a fight, a hard-ass parole officer, a prison record, and her own internal demons, most prominent of which is her need to get a fix.Unquestionably the film contains difficult subject matter, but Gyllenhaal handles it brilliantly.
A fine movie that's elevated by a stunningly perfect performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal, 'Sherrybaby' is a film whose acting talents outshines the material.
It's a pessimistic outlook on rehabilitation that at times manages to be too depressing for its own good, but writer/director Laurie Collyer manages to make the film stand out from the crowd with admirable and heartfelt storytelling.Fresh out of prison, Sherry Swanson is a recovering drug addict who is trying to get her life back on the right track.
I usually enjoy North American independent movies.But I know a lot of independent movies fail in this thing:repetition of clichés:friends in a little town,cruel and forbidden romances or tragedies of life in the city.I understand that repetition of subjects because,with very little resources,the new directors of independent films try to use locations and easy situations.With so little resources,it's impossible to make an epic battle film.So,a lot of them,make the typical story of eccentric personalities of people on a town,a relationship between friends or something as clichéd as that.But,on that clichéd group,it's possible to find movies which give something new to the known formula.Sherrybaby is one of that films.The story is not innovative and the film is far away from being great.But there are some new elements with the known formulas.I usually do not like dramas which show a lot of suffering and tragedy because of nothing.Sherrybaby has a touch of humor that makes it better and not too tragical.Maggie Gyllenhaal is extraordinary on her performance and she gives natural realism to her character.Sherrybaby is not a great movie...but,at least,it's a fun one..
Sherry Swanson(Maggie Gyllenhaal,washed-out and yet hopeful looking,in a performance that DOES live up to its hype)has returned from a six-year prison sentence,having served three.
The goal may be simple,but it's hardly easy,as she's about to learn.From her inability to stay put in the halfway house she's assigned to,to her increasing difficulty to win the confidence of her daughter,her brother(Brad William Henkle)and his wife(Bridget Balkan),Sherry unravels at a rate that is only slowed by her ever-awareness that she's oh-so-close to violating her parole and undoing all the efforts she's done to keep herself on the straight and narrow.The film, written and directed by Laurie Collyer,is a rough watch(As per my comment summary)because it is painfully unflinching:you see that Sherry was a drug-user(heroin at the very least),was a stripper and in all likelihood a prostitute,and you can see her start to slip into old habits.
'SherryBaby' is quite a painful and sordid melodrama set in Jersey, the story of a young mother who is out of jail on probe after a drugs-related conviction and fights to stay clean, to find a place for herself in life and especially to win back the love of her kid daughter who is being taken care by her brother's family.
Yet in spite of its competent and poignant approach work, Sherrybaby falls way way short of making the impact that I'm sure director/writer Laurie Collyer would have aimed for, and that's as much a shame as Sherry Swanson's life is in the film.
'Sherrybaby' is a tragic tale of a young woman named Sherry Swanson who, after serving two and a half years in prison for stealing and drug abuse, returns to her home in New Jersey, anxious to see her daughter and to start on a clean path to rehabilitation.
In spite of its tragic and heartfelt content of a mother reconnecting with her 6-year-old daughter after she has been released from prison, Sherrybaby moves back into realistic mode, and feels truly engaging because of it.Undoubtedly, Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance in the film reeks of Oscar-bait for it is simply an excellent performance.
It stems from a variety of things that the film touches upon at several points: the seedy halfway home Sherry is sent to live at upon her release, the trouble she has readjusting herself to society and to work ("I'll suck your dick if you give me the job I want."), her abusive relationship with her father, her coping drug addiction and the fact that Lynette is discouraging Alexis from calling Sherry 'mommy'.
She does not play to the sympathy of the audience: she rather empathizes with one woman's plight in her struggle to gain control of a life she has never been able to successfully assemble.Sherry Swanson (a brilliant tour de force by Maggie Gyllenhaal) has been in prison for robbery, drug possession and heroin addiction for several years and as the film opens she is released to her hometown in New Jersey where she is assigned a parole officer (Giancarlo Esposito) and a 'safe haven' home.
Tragic and troubled recovering drug addict and former convict Sherry Swanson (a remarkably brave, touching, and fearless performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal) attempts to get her life back on track and reconnect with her estranged daughter Alexis (a fine and moving portrayal by Ryan Simpkins) after being released from prison.
The movie stars Maggie Gyllenhaal in the title role together with Brad William Henke,Sam Bottoms,Kate Burton,Giancarlo Esposito and Danny Trejo.When Sherry Swanson was sentenced to three years in prison on a drug- related robbery conviction at the age of 22, she had just given birth to a daughter named Alexis.
Later, when compassionate 12-step veteran Dean makes an effort to help Sherry become the mother she longs to be, the troubled ex-con is faced with the choice of truly living up to her word or potentially losing her daughter forever.This movie which is based on a true story, explodes with manic energy keeps you riveted through parts that might otherwise be difficult to watch.It is itself is a collection of emotional highs and mostly lows for Maggie Gyllenhaal, who elevates it all far above the slim story as she presents us with an indelible character study that will be seared into our minds for a long time to come and makes us care for her character after she gives a tour de force performance in the title role.Overall,it is a disturbing film that should not be missed..
Maggie Gyllenhaal is stunning as Sherry Swanson, who returns home to New Jersey after serving three years in prison for theft and drug abuse.