''Cavedweller'' is a 2004 American drama film directed by

Lisa Cholodenko Lisa Cholodenko (born June 5, 1964) is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films ''High Art'' (1998), ''Laurel Canyon (film), Laurel Canyon'' (2002), and ''The Kids Are All Right (film), The Kids Are All Right ...

, based on the novel of the same name by

Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison (born April 11, 1949) is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of a ...

. It stars

Kyra Sedgwick Kyra Minturn Sedgwick (; born August 19, 1965) is an American actress, producer and director. For her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama ''The Closer'', she won a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and an Emmy Awa ...

and

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor who made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), ''Stakeout'' (1987), ''Aval ...

. It won the New American Cinema award at the 30th

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

Plot summary

A traumatic event sends a musician (Sedgwick) back to her hometown in an effort to reunite with the two daughters she abandoned. To do so, she must confront her abusive ex-husband (Quinn), from whom she fled years ago. He is all alone dying of cancer. Delia ran away after her husband tried to kill her. She joined a rock band and had a daughter Cissy with Randall (Bacon). Randall dies in LA and Delia decides after a ten year absence to return home to Georgia. Delia is not welcome home and her small town is unforgiving. Grandma Windsor has raised Amanda aged 16, a born again Christian, and Dede aged 14, a free spirited singer like her mother. Grandma will not let Delia see her children. Former husband Clint wants to die at home and Delia agrees to be his caretaker if the two daughters are returned to her custody. Dying Clint, redemption seeking Delia, uprooted daughter Cissy and the bitter daughters Amanda and Dede all live together. Delia assures that this time she will not run away again. Cissy grew up in LA and southern rural Georgia is a hard adjustment. She cares for and bonds to Clint. Amanda wants Mom to become a born again Christian and find God's forgiveness. Delia wants her daughter to forgive and love her not God. Dede smokes and has a secret boyfriend and might understand why her mother left. Clint dies at home. Despite the raw emotions and new relationships, there is hope for this family.

Cast

as Delia Byrd *

as Clint Windsor *

Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress and author. She came to attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Go ...

as MT *

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...

as Randall Pritchard * Jill Scott as Rosemary *

Vanessa Zima Vanessa Zima (born December 17, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as a child actress in the 1990s films ''The Baby-Sitters Club'', ''Ulee's Gold'', and ''Wicked'', and for her recurring role on the first season of the 199 ...

as Amanda Windsor *April Mullen as Dede *Regan Arnold as Cissy Pritchard

Reception

Josh Ralske of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave ''Cavedweller'' 3 stars out of 5, calling it "a potent, absorbing family drama that ends on a note of real emotional power." Matthew Gilbert of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' said, " yraSedgwick is marvelous, and so are all three of the actresses who play her daughters, particularly Regan Arnold as Cissy." Meanwhile, David Rooney of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said, "screenwriter Anne Meredith's adaptation too often skims the surface of the characters' struggles when it should dig deeper, sacrificing much of the novel's emotional resonance in the distillation, particularly where Cissy is concerned." Robert Lloyd of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' praised cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet's work. He said, " robetseems to have thumbed through some American photography collections in preparation for this shoot -- I thought of

William Eggleston William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...

and

Stephen Shore Stephen Shore (born October 8, 1947) is an American photographer known for his images of banal scenes and objects, and for his pioneering use of color in art photography. His books include ''Uncommon Places'' (1982) and ''American Surfaces'' (199 ...

-- and does marvelous things with light."

References

External links

* * {{Lisa Cholodenko 2004 films American drama films Films directed by Lisa Cholodenko 2004 independent films Films based on American novels 2000s English-language films 2000s American films