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Set in the Midwestern farm belt of the US, this meandering feminist melodrama is based on Jane Smiley’s novel which is itself an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “King Lear”. An aging patriarch (Jason Robards) decides impulsively to divide his prized thousand-acre farm between his three daughters but when the youngest (Jennifer Jason Leigh) tries to dissuade him, he disinherits her. When the other daughters (Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer) take up the offer, long repressed rivalries, unspoken secrets and regrets that both bind and divide the three women begin to surface. At the centre of the dysfunctional family dynamics is their controlling father, now rapidly declining into alcoholism and dementia. Written by Laura Jones.
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Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
315716
Language
English
Audience classification
MA
Subject categories
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Fathers and daughters
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Sibling rivalry
Feature films → Feature films - United States
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Men - Alcohol use
Literature → American literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)