Dolores Claiborne (1995)

In the chilly remoteness of Jonesport, Maine, the life of Dolores Claiborne, a resilient maid serving an affluent yet miserly woman, Vera Donovan, takes a grim turn. Renowned New York investigative journalist, Selena St. George, foregoes her next big break in Arizona to rush to her coastal hometown. The reason? An anonymous fax revealing her estranged mother, Dolores, as the prime suspect in Vera Donovan's murder. Selena's fifteen-year separation from Dolores, fueled by the haunting suspicion of her mother's guilt in her father's death, is abruptly ended as the past beckons. Dolores, who reverted to her maiden name after her husband Joe's death, began her thankless service for Vera when the latter moved permanently into her summer house. This was a sacrifice Dolores made to fund Selena's education. When Vera's deteriorating health demanded constant care, Dolores found herself living in the Donovan house, enduring Vera's sharp-tongued barbs and miserly ways. Detective John Mackey, the relentless force behind the investigation, bears an unshakeable belief in Dolores' guilt. His conviction stems from a similar investigation eighteen years prior, focused on the death of Selena's father, Joe. A case that left a mark on his perfect career and a cloud of suspicion over Dolores. Convinced that if Dolores could kill once, she could do so again, he sees the murder of Vera as a drawn conclusion. As mother and daughter reunite in the long-abandoned St. George house, memories rise like specters from the past. The film skillfully weaves between the cool blue tones of their present reality and the vivid hues of their past. As Selena grapples with her traumatic childhood and the secrets it holds, the story unravels complex threads of family strife, dark suspicions, and hidden truths. As small-town justice gears up with relentless momentum, the viewers are drawn into a world where the past and present collide, and where nothing is as it seems. The answers to what really happened eighteen years ago, and to the mystery surrounding Vera's death, are exquisitely buried within these memories, waiting to be unearthed.

Dolores Claiborne is a crime movie featuring Kathy Bates.

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