Dolores Claiborne (1995) ★★★★
I haven't read the Stephen King novel on which this is based wouldn't be surprised if it has the same dual narrative structure in which events switch between the past and present, occasionally overlapping. It's brilliantly constructed by Taylor Hackford (from Tony Gilroy's screenplay) and its slow burning nature allows the powerful performances, especially from Kathy Bates (just as she did five years earlier in another King adaptation, Misery), to come to the fore and dominate. It isn't a solo outing from Bates as she is ably supported by an excellent cast including Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Strathairn, Judy Parfitt, John C. Reilly and Christopher Plummer.
It's very well shot by Gabriel Beristain, using locations in Canada to evoke the New England setting perfectly, Danny Elfman's score is very different from his normal output in Tim Burton's films, sounding much more evocative and melancholy, and Mark Warner's editing delivers consistent and appropriate pace while upping the tempo for the few action-oriented sequences.
It's a film which deals with serious issues in a mature way, never feeling exploitative or uncaring. For the subtext on the position of women in society and, particularly, how they are affected by employment opportunities and abusive relationships, it can easily be described as a feminist piece, though I don't know if that was Stephen King's intention; it's not mentioned by Taylor Hackford on the commentary track.
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