Author: Evan (NY)
"The Devil's Daughter"
Written and Directed By: Frank Darabont
CAST
Debra Luptak - Hailee Steinfeld
Jayne Luptak - Melissa McCarthy
Danielle Luptak - Joey King
Matthew Luptak - Alexander Gould
Harold Farnsworth - Casey Affleck
Larry Luptak - Tommy Flanagan
Tagline: "to live is to die, to die is to lose."
SYNOPSIS
Debra Luptak (Steinfeld) was only sixteen years old, but had already suffered through more pain than most people do in their lifetimes. The year is 1976, and Debra and her younger sister, Danielle (King) are about to start their new lives 1,500 miles from their mother, but still, they can't help but remember the pain they'd gone through over the past few years.
When Debra was born, her paranoid schizophrenic mother Jayne (McCarthy) had deemed her "a child of the devil" since she wanted desperately to have another son. By age 14, Debra was taking the full brunt of her mothers abuse, although her younger sister was also dealt her share. Jayne didn't believe in housework, and they all lived amongst filth and molding dishes. The family lived near St. Louis, and also included a weak and often absent father named Larry (Flanagan) who was the only person in the household who would sometimes stand up to Jayne about the abuse. There was also an older brother named Matthew, (Gould) who at his mothers request, would also beat his sisters.
After one particularly violent fight between Jayne and Larry, Debra's father walked out, leaving the girls with nobody to protect them. Within two weeks the family had packed up and was moving down to Arizona to live on a ranch with Jayne's old high school fling. Calling the home of Harold Farnsworth (Affleck) a ranch was probably a generous description. Fifty miles outside of Phoenix, in the middle of the Palo Verde desert, "the ranch" was a couple trailers and some rickety animal pens housing a few pigs and a goat. Harold was was an ex-military man with a twisted sense of discipline, and in no time he was forcing the girls to do their chores without shoes on in the Arizona heat, and encouraging Matthew to brand them with an hot fork. He also built them a pen, and had the girls sleep outside.
When Debra found out that the girls wouldn't be allowed to attend school, she became desperate for her and her sister to escape. Debra knew she could probably make it far enough through the desert to find somebody to help her, but the same couldn't be said for Danielle, who she refused to leave behind. Despite her brothers actions, Debra didn't want to leave him behind either. But after Jayne forces Debra to watch her sister walk barefoot across a metal sheet in 110 degree weather, she realizes she has no choice. Debra and Danielle had been living in a cattle pen behind the trailer, and one night they tried to run away. After six failed attempts, which were all met with whippings, branding, and verbal abuse, both Jayne and Harold were fed up, and drove the girls into Tempe, dropping them off at the police station, and never looking back.
It had been a hard childhood so far, but Debra was hopeful that Danielle would now, finally, be able to live. Debra's one hope was that Danielle would grow up in a loving family, and that she'd one day forget the abuse that Debra knew she could never let go.
AWARDS CAMPAIGN
The life of Debra Luptak is widely thought to be the worst case of child abuse in recorded American history. She had to live through conditions so horrific most of us couldn't even imagine them. In Frank Darabont's daring, visceral, and unflinching take on her childhood is a prime example of the power of cinema. With a tight, minimalist script, "The Devil's Daughter" feels tense throughout, giving the viewer the feeling that at any given moment, something might snap within one of the major characters, weather it be love, hope, or even sanity. The casting is both bold, and safe in equal measures, but by no means does that make any of the performances less powerful. Hailee Steinfeld plays Debra, a girl so used and abused that by most accounts she should be dead. But, like her role in "True Grit," Steinfeld's Debra is a fighter, one powered by both a love for her sister, and her own twisted view on family. Steinfeld plays the part beautifully, showing us how confused a young woman can be, when all she's ever felt is pain and brutality, but never love. Joey King gives a wide eyed, and stirring performance as Danielle, the younger sister of Debra, who seems to be the only character in the film with real hope. She's great for the part, and is quite excellent in all respects. "The Devil's Daughter" is mostly a female driven film, but the men in the cast are also fantastic in their roles. Alexander Gould gives a frightening performance as the older brother Matthew, who enjoys abusing his sisters, mostly because his mother has always told him that's how he should feel. Casey Affleck and Tommy Flanagan give good performances as the husband and boyfriend of Jayne. One is good, and one is harsh, but they both still live by the rules set out by Jayne. The real star of this film, however, is Melissa McCarthy, who makes a chilling, grotesque, and almost unimaginable transformation into Jayne, the mother from hell, and succeeds in being just what she's supposed to be. McCarthy is unrecognizable as a mother who does everything from burning her son with cigarettes, to drugging her older daughter to keep her from fighting back. It's hard to watch at times, but in the end she portrays a powerful message: that nature will always triumph over nurture. McCarthy is incredible, and gives one of the best performances of the year. "The Devil's Daughter" is a difficult film, but it's also quite brilliant, and is one of the most terrifying portrayals of child abuse ever put on screen.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director - Frank Darabont
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actress - Hailee Steinfeld
Best Supporting Actress - Melissa McCarthy
Best Supporting Actress - Joey King
Best Supporting Actor - Alexander Gould
Best Supporting Actor - Casey Affleck
Best Supporting Actor - Tommy Flanagan
and all applicable categories
"The Devil's Daughter"
Written and Directed By: Frank Darabont
CAST
Debra Luptak - Hailee Steinfeld
Jayne Luptak - Melissa McCarthy
Danielle Luptak - Joey King
Matthew Luptak - Alexander Gould
Harold Farnsworth - Casey Affleck
Larry Luptak - Tommy Flanagan
Tagline: "to live is to die, to die is to lose."
SYNOPSIS
Debra Luptak (Steinfeld) was only sixteen years old, but had already suffered through more pain than most people do in their lifetimes. The year is 1976, and Debra and her younger sister, Danielle (King) are about to start their new lives 1,500 miles from their mother, but still, they can't help but remember the pain they'd gone through over the past few years.
When Debra was born, her paranoid schizophrenic mother Jayne (McCarthy) had deemed her "a child of the devil" since she wanted desperately to have another son. By age 14, Debra was taking the full brunt of her mothers abuse, although her younger sister was also dealt her share. Jayne didn't believe in housework, and they all lived amongst filth and molding dishes. The family lived near St. Louis, and also included a weak and often absent father named Larry (Flanagan) who was the only person in the household who would sometimes stand up to Jayne about the abuse. There was also an older brother named Matthew, (Gould) who at his mothers request, would also beat his sisters.
After one particularly violent fight between Jayne and Larry, Debra's father walked out, leaving the girls with nobody to protect them. Within two weeks the family had packed up and was moving down to Arizona to live on a ranch with Jayne's old high school fling. Calling the home of Harold Farnsworth (Affleck) a ranch was probably a generous description. Fifty miles outside of Phoenix, in the middle of the Palo Verde desert, "the ranch" was a couple trailers and some rickety animal pens housing a few pigs and a goat. Harold was was an ex-military man with a twisted sense of discipline, and in no time he was forcing the girls to do their chores without shoes on in the Arizona heat, and encouraging Matthew to brand them with an hot fork. He also built them a pen, and had the girls sleep outside.
When Debra found out that the girls wouldn't be allowed to attend school, she became desperate for her and her sister to escape. Debra knew she could probably make it far enough through the desert to find somebody to help her, but the same couldn't be said for Danielle, who she refused to leave behind. Despite her brothers actions, Debra didn't want to leave him behind either. But after Jayne forces Debra to watch her sister walk barefoot across a metal sheet in 110 degree weather, she realizes she has no choice. Debra and Danielle had been living in a cattle pen behind the trailer, and one night they tried to run away. After six failed attempts, which were all met with whippings, branding, and verbal abuse, both Jayne and Harold were fed up, and drove the girls into Tempe, dropping them off at the police station, and never looking back.
It had been a hard childhood so far, but Debra was hopeful that Danielle would now, finally, be able to live. Debra's one hope was that Danielle would grow up in a loving family, and that she'd one day forget the abuse that Debra knew she could never let go.
AWARDS CAMPAIGN
The life of Debra Luptak is widely thought to be the worst case of child abuse in recorded American history. She had to live through conditions so horrific most of us couldn't even imagine them. In Frank Darabont's daring, visceral, and unflinching take on her childhood is a prime example of the power of cinema. With a tight, minimalist script, "The Devil's Daughter" feels tense throughout, giving the viewer the feeling that at any given moment, something might snap within one of the major characters, weather it be love, hope, or even sanity. The casting is both bold, and safe in equal measures, but by no means does that make any of the performances less powerful. Hailee Steinfeld plays Debra, a girl so used and abused that by most accounts she should be dead. But, like her role in "True Grit," Steinfeld's Debra is a fighter, one powered by both a love for her sister, and her own twisted view on family. Steinfeld plays the part beautifully, showing us how confused a young woman can be, when all she's ever felt is pain and brutality, but never love. Joey King gives a wide eyed, and stirring performance as Danielle, the younger sister of Debra, who seems to be the only character in the film with real hope. She's great for the part, and is quite excellent in all respects. "The Devil's Daughter" is mostly a female driven film, but the men in the cast are also fantastic in their roles. Alexander Gould gives a frightening performance as the older brother Matthew, who enjoys abusing his sisters, mostly because his mother has always told him that's how he should feel. Casey Affleck and Tommy Flanagan give good performances as the husband and boyfriend of Jayne. One is good, and one is harsh, but they both still live by the rules set out by Jayne. The real star of this film, however, is Melissa McCarthy, who makes a chilling, grotesque, and almost unimaginable transformation into Jayne, the mother from hell, and succeeds in being just what she's supposed to be. McCarthy is unrecognizable as a mother who does everything from burning her son with cigarettes, to drugging her older daughter to keep her from fighting back. It's hard to watch at times, but in the end she portrays a powerful message: that nature will always triumph over nurture. McCarthy is incredible, and gives one of the best performances of the year. "The Devil's Daughter" is a difficult film, but it's also quite brilliant, and is one of the most terrifying portrayals of child abuse ever put on screen.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director - Frank Darabont
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actress - Hailee Steinfeld
Best Supporting Actress - Melissa McCarthy
Best Supporting Actress - Joey King
Best Supporting Actor - Alexander Gould
Best Supporting Actor - Casey Affleck
Best Supporting Actor - Tommy Flanagan
and all applicable categories