There are times when being difficult is all a woman can rely on. Dolores Claiborne comes from director Taylor Hackford and screenwriter Tony Gilroy, based on the novel by Stephen King. The cast includes Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Strathairn, John C. Riley, Christopher Plummer, and Judy Parfitt. Danny Elfman composed the music, and Gabriel Beristain was in charge of cinematography. The story follows Leigh as Selena St. George, a reporter from a large city who returns to her hometown island in Maine when her mother is accused of killing an elderly woman she was caring for. Dolores (Bates), her estranged mother, is also suspected of having killed her husband and Selena's father twenty years earlier, although that death was initially considered accidental. As mother and daughter reconnect, past secrets intertwine with the difficulties of the present. It’s a remarkably well-acted and produced drama that does justice to an excellent book. Dolores Claiborne puts family trauma at the forefront of a continuing murder investigation. Stephen King adaptations are often inconsistent in quality, but this is definitely one of the better examples; it moves away from typical horror creatures toward something else entirely—the human kind. The film unfolds against a consistently gloomy setting of rain, overcast skies, and an unappealing sea, revealing the sadness at the heart of one family's history, where emotional tension lingers constantly. Hackford manages the narrative well, blending contemporary scenes with those from the past to create a ghostly feel to the storytelling. Plummer’s portrayal of Detective John Mackey feels somewhat underdeveloped, and the time dedicated to the pre-trial debate and inquest isn't sufficient to have the necessary effect when all the secrets are revealed—which is almost unforgivable considering the film runs for more than two hours. Despite these minor issues, it remains very good, and is worth seeing for the three leading actresses’ performances alone, especially for viewers who appreciate dramas with substance in their writing. 8/10

Source on TMDB