“Sherrybaby is an intensely compelling experience and marks an exciting (narrative feature) directorial debut.” - Sundance Film Festival

American indie queen Maggie Gyllenhaal's magnetic presence lights every frame of this starkly realistic drama about a young life on the skids. She plays the titular Sherry, a woman addicted to drugs who, after being released from prison following a robbery charge, struggles to reconcile her place in the world, particularly with regard to her infant daughter.

In her most sizeable role since Secretary, Gyllenhaal deeply inhabits the fragile yet, at times, furious Sherry, supported by an impressive cast of sharply observed characters played by the likes of Brad Henke, Sam Bottoms and Danny Trejo. Writer-director Laurie Collyer succeeds in stripping her film of any unnecessary adornment, resulting in a taut narrative whereby the drama speaks confidently through the performances. With each ‘challenge', Sherry looks precariously close to losing her grip on even a semblance of normal life.