Shy People

Infobox Film
name = Shy People


director = Andrei Konchalovsky
writer = Andrei Konchalovsky Gerard Brach Marjorie David
starring = Barbara Hershey
Jill Clayburgh
Martha Plimpton
producer = Yoram Globus Menahem Golan
music= Tangerine Dream
cinematography = Chris Menges
editing = Alain Jakubowicz
distributor= Golan-Globus
budget = N/A
released= 1988
runtime = 118 min
language = English
imdb_id = 0093964|

Shy People is a critically-acclaimed 1987 American drama about two branches of a family that reunite with tragic results, starring Barbara Hershey, Jill Clayburgh, and Martha Plimpton. It was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, written by Konchalovsky, Marjorie David and Gerard Brach, and features music by the German electronic music group Tangerine Dream. Hershey won the "Best Actress" award at Cannes Film Festival for her performance. It was one of the last movie roles for actor Merritt Butrick who died from AIDS in 1989.

Plot summary

Diana Sullivan (Jill Clayburgh) is a successful Manhattan writer and photojournalist, seemingly oblivious to the serious cocaine addicition that her wild child daughter Grace (Martha Plimpton) has developed. A commission by Cosmopolitan magazine to write an article about a lost branch of Diana's family leads them deep into the bayous of Louisiana, where they encounter Diana's distant cousin, Ruth (Barabara Hershey). Married at 12 to an abusive man whose current whereabouts are an increasingly troubling cipher, Ruth rules over her 3 adult sons, all less than perfectly cogent, with equal parts protectiveness and ferocity, while a fourth, disowned son adds to the volatility of the situation. As the fascinated Diana and wary Ruth circle one another, Grace, bored and in grip of her addiction, toys with her naive cousins with devastating consequences.

Cinematography

"Shy People" was shot by two-time Academy Award-winner Chris Menges, who also worked on "A World Apart", another film for which Barbara Hershey was recognized at the Cannes Film Festival.

Awards and Nominations

*Winner: 1987 Cannes Film Festival - Best Actress - Barbara Hershey
*Nominee: 1987 Cannes Film Festival - Golden Palm
*Nominee: 1988 Independent Spirit Awards - Best Supporting Actress - Martha Plimpton

Cast

*Jill Clayburgh .... Diana Sullivan
*Barbara Hershey .... Ruth
*Martha Plimpton .... Grace
*Merritt Butrick .... Mike
*John Philbin .... Tommy
*Don Swayze .... Mark
*Pruitt Taylor Vince .... Paul
*Mare Winningham .... Candy

References

* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=44563 New York Times review by Vincent Canby]
* [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19880520/REVIEWS/805200301/1023 Chicago Sun-Times review by Roger Ebert]