Stephanie Daley + Q&A

There's a rawness to Stephanie Daley that we rarely see in American film – it paints slick composition and beautiful, bleeding color... - Cinematical
An interesting, gripping, and ultimately, devastating story. - New York Times

Having made her directorial debut in Sundance 1997 with the Sticky Fingers of Time (now a cult time-travel classic), Hilary Brougher has gone on to write and direct one of the slickest emotional thrillers of the year. Stephanie Daley, starring award winning Tilda Swinton and promising newcomer Amber Tamblyn (who won the prestigious Bronze Leopard award at the Locarno International Film Festival for her role) is a compelling psychological journey.

When 16-year-old Stephanie Daley (Tamblyn) is accused of murdering her newborn, she claims she never knew she was pregnant and that the child was stillborn. A forensic psychologist, Lydie Crane (Tilda Swinton), is hired to determine the truth behind Stephanie's continuing state of denial.

Lydie is pregnant herself and grappling with a shaky marriage as well as a growing intuition that something may go wrong with her own unborn child. Her encounters with Stephanie soon lead her to believe that unraveling the teenager's mystery is crucial to her own fate. The resulting parallel journeys lead each woman to a place of self-realization and acceptance.

Stephanie Daley, dir Hilary Brougher, USA 2006, 91 mins