DOLORES CLAIBORNE

I would go so far as to say it reveals Mr. Stephen King as a feminist. Who knew?

I saw Dolores Claiborne when it first came out on video, but I think I was too traumatized by the disturbing turn of events to fully appreciate it. For one thing, the sight of Christopher Plummer looking decidedly aged and weatherbeaten threw me for a loop. It was the first time I really realized that he wasn't getting any younger, and I was STUNNED. Like, I think I actually paused the movie and walked up to the screen, because I could not believe what I was seeing. Then they threw in the incest and it was all over—my thin-skinned teenage self was officially scarred. Watching the movie as a more mature viewer, I see that it is essentially a story of sisterhood. In fact, I would go so far as to say it reveals Mr. Stephen King as a feminist. Who knew?

Our story begins with the death of Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt). She's old and ailing, so it's no surprise that she doesn't survive a tumble down the stairs. It would be a closed case, if not for the unfortunate arrival of a delivery man, who enters the scene just in time to find Vera dead on the floor and Dolores Claiborne (the endlessly talented Kathy Bates) towering over her with a rolling pin. Most people could easily explain the rolling pin away, but Dolores's husband died under suspicious circumstances as well. She immediately falls under the scrutiny of Detective John Mackey (Christopher Plummer), and he's not letting up until Dolores goes down.

All of this brings Dolores's estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), home to offer her assistance. Though she swoops in as her mother's big city advocate, she shows Dolores little patience or respect. She's sullen, moody, addicted to pain killers, and clearly has her own suspicions about her father's death. She drinks his brand of Scotch, and obsessively applies lotion to her hands, lest they should become chapped and leathery like her mother's. She's done her best to forget the ugly truth about her dad, and Dolores is maddeningly stubborn when it comes to telling her side of the story.

Slowly but surely the truth comes out. Through flashbacks we begin to see that life with Joe St. George (David Strathairn) was no day at the beach. For years Dolores endured his physical and emotional abuse with a stiff upper lip, but when he began taking a special interest in Selena the alarm bells started sounding. Young Selena is played, rather unfortunately, by Ellen Muth, who sports an obvious wig and displays no acting ability whatsoever. Even so, Dolores loves her gawky daughter, and is determined to end the cycle of abuse. She takes a job keeping house for Vera Donovan, and quickly bonds with one of the most formidable women in town.

Though Vera is notoriously difficult to work for, she takes Dolores under her wing as soon as she learns about Joe. A girl's girl doesn't let her housekeeper live in abusive situation, and Vera shows Dolores that maybe, just maybe, there's a way to get rid of Joe once and for all. After all, drunks fall in holes all the time, and it would be easy to lose your bearings in the middle of a solar eclipse. Dolores will be forever branded as a possible murderess, but at least she and Selena will be safe, and she and Vera will be friends for life.

I think we've all had experiences as women where the biggest bitch you know suddenly has your back, simply because she's been there and she's not letting you go down alone. Just as Vera stood with Dolores against Joe, Selena stands with her against Detective Mackey. (Poor, misguided Detective Mackey, whose desire to be right is just wrong. He's so intent on uncovering the truth, he can't possibly see that justice has already been served.) It is Vera's last will that finally liberates Dolores from years of suspicion, back-breaking labor, and servitude, and it is a testament to the quiet fierceness of female friendship.

Dolores Claiborne is an example of Stephen King's storytelling at its best, and the cast brings it to life with such authenticity that you could easily believe Kathy Bates really is a bitter old wash woman and David Strathairn (Whistler from Sneakers!) is a lecherous old drunk. Just watching her smash a pitcher of milk over his smug, drunk head makes the movie, and there is still so much more to recommend it. It's a dark world they inhabit, but for Dolores, the sun will shine again.