听 User Rating 
Contains very strong language, strong sex and references and hard drug use
Maggie Gyllenhaal excels as the eponymous tart with a heart and a penchant for heroin in SherryBaby. Without her gutsy portrayal, this drama by up-and-coming writer/director Laurie Collyer could have otherwise ended up on a 'lifestyle' satellite channel. It explores the deep and sometimes dangerous depths of a mother's love for her child, but while Collyer amps up the melodrama, Gyllenhaal shines in the quieter moments with just a weary glance or a seething smile.
Sherry is fresh from a three-year spell in the big house after stealing to feed a drugs habit. Still, she has yet to face the real consequences of her misdeeds. Visions of a happy reunion with her young daughter Lexi (Ryan Simpkins) are shattered after seeing sister-in-law Bridget (Bridget Barkan) firmly ensconced in the mother role. Having raised the child in her absence, Bridget is concerned that Sherry isn't up to the task and Sherry struggles to prove her wrong.
"DEFTLY PLAYED BY GYLLENHAAL"
Loosely shot scenes and snatches of improvised dialogue lend an air of realism and there's an easy rapport between Gyllenhaal and Simpkins. Collyer takes credibility to the tipping point, however, by throwing a few too many stumbling blocks in Sherry's path. Echoes of her childhood, which bluntly explain Sherry's drug dependency, are especially grating. The pure and painful desire to be with her daughter, deftly played by Gyllenhaal, is enough to inspire sympathy without this added melodrama. In the end what comes across more eloquently is the bond between Sherry and her brother (Brad William Henke); their muted exchanges are where the film is most subtle and true.
SherryBaby is out in the UK on 27th July 2007.
