One sister, Deb, seems to have everything in her life go awry. Yet, her buxom sister, Kath, seems to have the world on a string with the perfect husband, Terry, and a stable life. What is the filmmakers' goal in depicting such divergent lives? Is the high-spirited Deb merely sassy, or does she have other, deep-seated and unresolved issues in life?
Deb experiences a mother's worst nightmare when her daughter, Bridget, a single mom just like her mother, wanders off and is never seen again. Deb mourns the loss of Bridge while raising the little out-of-wedlock boy Jesse. Deb also has bum luck with men, experimenting first with an abuser (Ray), then a philanderer (Chris).
The film portrays an astonishing transformation in Deb, as she seems to mature and steady herself in her late 30s. Yet it was difficult to believe that she was capable of becoming a supervisor of workers in a nursing home and somehow was a shrewd labor negotiator and activist in negotiating a contract dispute.
Much of the film seemed ghoulish and maudlin with the explosive outbursts of Deb and the despicable behavior of Ray and Chris. While driving drunk, it was difficult to believe that Deb walked away from a car crash when she careened off the road like a missile. Another scene that stretched credibility beyond the pale was Deb's visit to a prison to have a conversation with the alleged killer of her daughter. And we never even heard what was spoken!
At the close of "American Woman," the camera pans around the empty house of Deb with the "for sale" sign in front. The little home is filled with memories, and almost all of them are bad. How much of this was Deb's own doing, and how much of it was just rough luck? The film artists do not venture a guess in answering the major questions they raise about the vagaries of life that leads to a case study of an American tragedy.
Deb experiences a mother's worst nightmare when her daughter, Bridget, a single mom just like her mother, wanders off and is never seen again. Deb mourns the loss of Bridge while raising the little out-of-wedlock boy Jesse. Deb also has bum luck with men, experimenting first with an abuser (Ray), then a philanderer (Chris).
The film portrays an astonishing transformation in Deb, as she seems to mature and steady herself in her late 30s. Yet it was difficult to believe that she was capable of becoming a supervisor of workers in a nursing home and somehow was a shrewd labor negotiator and activist in negotiating a contract dispute.
Much of the film seemed ghoulish and maudlin with the explosive outbursts of Deb and the despicable behavior of Ray and Chris. While driving drunk, it was difficult to believe that Deb walked away from a car crash when she careened off the road like a missile. Another scene that stretched credibility beyond the pale was Deb's visit to a prison to have a conversation with the alleged killer of her daughter. And we never even heard what was spoken!
At the close of "American Woman," the camera pans around the empty house of Deb with the "for sale" sign in front. The little home is filled with memories, and almost all of them are bad. How much of this was Deb's own doing, and how much of it was just rough luck? The film artists do not venture a guess in answering the major questions they raise about the vagaries of life that leads to a case study of an American tragedy.