A Cry in the Dark

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A Cry in the Dark

PG-13,

1988,

2h 1m,

Biography/

Drama

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Watchlist

94%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

While on vacation in the Australian outback, Seventh Day Adventist priest Michael Chamberlain (Sam Neill) and his wife, Lindy (Meryl Streep), discover that their baby, Azaria, is missing from the tent where she was sleeping. Lindy claims she saw a dingo leave the tent with something in its mouth. Initial evidence supports the Chamberlains, but negative media coverage and unfounded rumors create a shift in public opinion as people begin to suspect the couple of murdering their baby.

Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Herald Examiner

Aug 9, 2022

Fred Schepisi’s A Cry in the Dark is an unremitting, almost magisterial vision of a horrific, true-to-life incident.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Dec 19, 2011

Streep's beauty and talent and director Fred Schepisi's intelligence are both shown to best advantage, without easy points or grandstanding.

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Nigel Floyd

Empire Magazine

Dec 19, 2011

3/5

The powerful performances and sharp script augment this revealing human drama.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Oct 10, 2026

3/4

...a well-made, well-intentioned true-life tale that boasts, at its core, a seriously mesmerizing turn by Streep.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Jun 22, 2024

3/5

As in "Out of Africa," Meryl Streep doesn't exactly deliver a bit of convincing accent work (especially alongside so many actual Australians). But it's a sturdily poker-faced turn in a true-life tale.

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

Feb 28, 2024

Once the viewers get past their memories of mockery via television, there is a lot to engage with in A Cry in the Dark. As a relationship drama, the film truly flies.

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Draco R

Feb 24, 2019

A Cry in the Dark is very well acted, wonderfully shot and very effective in its first and third act, but the second act left a lot to be desired. The courtroom drama elements are excellent and the main character is so well developed, but the husband needed more screen time and even though it has emotional levity, the movie needed more depth and sophistication in its handling of this real-life story.

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Hermione S

Jun 15, 2017

I did like this movie overall, but I didn't love it as much as the critics did. The true story that it is based on is good enough to hold interest, but the film itself occasionally runs a bit dry in parts. I love courtroom dramas, and while the case is interesting, the dramatic representation of it doesn't always hit as hard as it should.

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Luke S

May 26, 2017

AACTA A classic Australian film.

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Fred Schepisi

Director

Meryl Streep

Lindy Chamberlain

Sam Neill

Michael Chamberlain

Bruce Myles

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Dale Reeves

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David Hoflin

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Synopsis

While on vacation in the Australian outback, Seventh Day Adventist priest Michael Chamberlain (Sam Neill) and his wife, Lindy (Meryl Streep), discover that their baby, Azaria, is missing from the tent where she was sleeping. Lindy claims she saw a dingo leave the tent with something in its mouth. Initial evidence supports the Chamberlains, but negative media coverage and unfounded rumors create a shift in public opinion as people begin to suspect the couple of murdering their baby.

Director: Fred Schepisi
Producer: Verity Lambert
Screenwriter: Robert Caswell, Fred Schepisi
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.7M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Surround

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