Cavedweller (film)

Last updated
Cavedweller
Cavedweller.jpg
Directed by Lisa Cholodenko
Screenplay byAnne Meredith
Based on Cavedweller
by Dorothy Allison
Produced byMichael Levine
Starring Kyra Sedgwick
Aidan Quinn
Sherilyn Fenn
Kevin Bacon
CinematographyXavier Perez Grobet
Edited byAmy E. Duddleston
Music by Wendy Melvoin
Release date
  • 2004 (2004)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Cavedweller is a 2004 American drama film directed by Lisa Cholodenko, based on the novel of the same name by Dorothy Allison. It stars Kyra Sedgwick and Aidan Quinn. It won the New American Cinema award at the 30th Seattle International Film Festival. [1]

Contents

Plot summary

A traumatic event sends a musician (Sedgwick) back to her hometown in an effort to reunite with the two daughters she abandoned. To do so, she must confront her abusive ex-husband (Quinn), from whom she fled years ago. He is all alone dying of cancer.

Delia ran away after her husband tried to kill her. She joined a rock band and had a daughter Cissy with Randall (Bacon). Randall dies in LA and Delia decides after a ten year absence to return home to Georgia. Delia is not welcome home and her small town is unforgiving. Grandma Windsor has raised Amanda aged 16, a born again Christian, and Dede aged 14, a free spirited singer like her mother. Grandma will not let Delia see her children.

Former husband Clint wants to die at home and Delia agrees to be his caretaker if the two daughters are returned to her custody. Dying Clint, redemption seeking Delia, uprooted daughter Cissy and the bitter daughters Amanda and Dede all live together. Delia assures that this time she will not run away again. Cissy grew up in LA and southern rural Georgia is a hard adjustment. She cares for and bonds to Clint. Amanda wants Mom to become a born again Christian and find God's forgiveness. Delia wants her daughter to forgive and love her not God. Dede smokes and has a secret boyfriend and might understand why her mother left.

Clint dies at home. Despite the raw emotions and new relationships, there is hope for this family.

Cast

Reception

Josh Ralske of AllMusic gave Cavedweller 3 stars out of 5, calling it "a potent, absorbing family drama that ends on a note of real emotional power." [2] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe said, "[Kyra] Sedgwick is marvelous, and so are all three of the actresses who play her daughters, particularly Regan Arnold as Cissy." [3]

Meanwhile, David Rooney of Variety said, "screenwriter Anne Meredith's adaptation too often skims the surface of the characters' struggles when it should dig deeper, sacrificing much of the novel's emotional resonance in the distillation, particularly where Cissy is concerned." [4]

Robert Lloyd of Los Angeles Times praised cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet's work. He said, "[Grobet] seems to have thumbed through some American photography collections in preparation for this shoot -- I thought of William Eggleston and Stephen Shore -- and does marvelous things with light." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Bacon</span> American actor (born 1958)

Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American actor. Known for his leading man and character roles, Bacon has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Sedgwick</span> American attorney and politician (1746–1813)

Theodore Sedgwick was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served in elected state government and as a delegate to the Continental Congress, a U.S. representative, and a senator from Massachusetts. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate from June to December 1798. He also served as the fourth speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1802 and served there for the rest of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edie Sedgwick</span> American model and actress (1943–1971)

Edith Minturn Sedgwick Post was an American actress, model, and socialite, who was one of Andy Warhol's superstars, starring in several of his short films during the 1960s. Her prominence led to her being dubbed an "It Girl", while Vogue magazine named her a "Youthquaker".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambda Literary Awards</span> Award for published works that celebrate or explore LGBT themes

Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature. The awards were instituted in 1989.

Kyra (<i>Charmed</i>) Fictional character from the American television supernatural drama Charmed

Kyra, also known by her title the Seer, is a fictional character from the American television supernatural drama Charmed, which aired on The WB Television Network from 1998 to 2006. Kyra was created by executive producer Brad Kern and portrayed by actress Charisma Carpenter. Her original contract was a recurring role that included three episodes in the show's season seven. TV Guide reported the WB had considered promoting her to a series regular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cissy Houston</span> American singer (born 1933)

Emily "Cissy" Houston is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, and Chaka Khan, Houston embarked on a solo career, winning two Grammy Awards for her work.

The Closer is an American police procedural television series starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a closer—an interrogator who not only solves a case, but also obtains confessions that lead to convictions, thus "closing" the case. The series ran on TNT from June 13, 2005, to August 13, 2012.

Lisa Cholodenko is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films High Art (1998), Laurel Canyon (2002), and The Kids Are All Right (2010). She has also directed television, including the miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014) and Unbelievable (2019). She has been nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe and has won an Emmy and a DGA Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Dillon</span> Character in All My Children

Amanda Dillon is a fictional character from the American daytime television soap opera All My Children. She is the daughter of police officer/detective Trevor Dillon and longtime series villain Janet Marlowe aka "Janet from Another Planet"; however, Amanda was thought to be the child of her aunt Natalie Marlowe, who later adopted her. Alexis Manta portrayed the character as a child from 1996–2000, and Chrishell Stause has portrayed the character as an adult from 2005 till the end of the series in 2011. Stause's version of Amanda started out a scheming, seductive troublemaker, but later matured into a warmer, kinder person due to her relationship with Jake Martin.

Aidan Merivale Crawley was a British journalist, television executive and editor, and politician. He was a member of both of Britain's major political parties: the Labour Party and Conservative Party, and was elected to the House of Commons as a Labour MP from 1945 to 1951, and as a Conservative MP from 1962 to 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concepta Riley</span> Fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street

Concepta Riley is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Coronation Street, played by Doreen Keogh. Concepta was created by Tony Warren as one of Coronation Street's original characters. She debuted in the soap opera's fifth episode which was broadcast on 23 December 1960.

<i>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</i> (musical) American stage musical

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a musical with a book by George Abbott and Betty Smith, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Arthur Schwartz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe Mitchell</span> Fictional character from The Young and the Restless

Chloe Mitchell is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Introduced by former executive producer Edward J. Scott as the daughter of trusty Chancellor family maid, Esther Valentine, the character was born onscreen on July 27, 1990. Portrayed by twins, Darla and Sandra Greer, until 1991, upon her brief return in 1994, child actress, Danielle Ryah, portrayed the role. On February 6, 2008, executive producer/head writer Josh Griffith introduced a new character, Chloe Mitchell, played by former All My Children actress, Elizabeth Hendrickson. That August, a change in storyline revealed Chloe was Kate, having legally changed her name while offscreen, when the character was away in boarding school. Upgraded from recurring to contract status, Hendrickson became an integral part of the cast.

Cavedweller is the second novel from author Dorothy Allison. Much like her award-winning novel, Bastard Out of Carolina, Cavedweller deals with domestic violence, friendship among women, mother-daughter bonds, and poverty in the small-town American South. Although the point of view shifts throughout the novel, the story is told primarily from the perspective of Delia Byrd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobbi Kristina Brown</span> American television personality (1993–2015)

Bobbi Kristina Brown was an American reality television personality and singer. She was the only child of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Her parents' fame kept Brown in the public eye, as did her appearances on the reality show Being Bobby Brown.

<i>Picture Perfect</i> (1995 film) 1995 American TV movie

Picture Perfect is a 1995 made-for-television comedy film by Feature Films for Families (FFFF) starring Richard Karn and Dave Thomas. First telecast October 14, 1995 on ABC, it is about the attempt by two families to fool Ernie Barrett, owner and CEO of Barrett's Natural Soda, into believing that they are one family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Minturn Stokes</span>

Edith Minturn Stokes was an American philanthropist, artistic muse and socialite during the Gilded Age.

<i>Just Add Magic</i> (TV series) Television series

Just Add Magic is an American live-action family television series, loosely based on the 2010 book of the same name by Cindy Callaghan. It was produced by Amazon Studios. A pilot was produced in 2015 and the series commissioned for a full season the following year. Amazon renewed the series for a second season in June 2016 after it "set a record as the most successful Amazon Original Kids premiere weekend in terms of U.S. Prime Video streams and hours."

<i>Endings, Beginnings</i> 2019 romantic drama film by Drake Doremus

Endings, Beginnings is a 2019 romantic drama film, directed by Drake Doremus, from a screenplay he wrote alongside Jardine Libaire. The film is semi-improvised and loosely based on the screenplay. It stars Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, Sebastian Stan and Matthew Gray Gubler.

<i>Shameless</i> (British TV series) British comedy-drama series

Shameless is a British comedy drama television programme created and executive produced by Paul Abbott. Set in Manchester on the fictional Chatsworth council estate, the show revolves around the dysfunctional working-class Gallagher family, depicting and commenting on English working-class life and culture.

References

  1. Ogle, Sandra (June 17, 2004). ""Facing Windows" Wins Top Award at Seattle Fest". Indiewire . Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  2. Ralske, Josh. "Cavedweller (2004) - Review". AllMovie . Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  3. Gilbert, Matthew (October 16, 2004). "'Cavedweller' ably explores mother's rocky recovery". Boston.com . Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  4. Rooney, David (May 4, 2004). "Review: 'Cavedweller'". Variety . Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  5. Lloyd, Robert (October 15, 2004). "'Cavedweller' excels in quiet". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 15, 2016.