Dolores Claiborne

In the small, secluded town of Little Tall Island, Maine, 1995 finds Dolores Claiborne (played by) laboring as a domestic servant in the opulent mansion of her elderly employer, Vera Donovan. Their tumultuous relationship takes a dramatic turn one afternoon when Vera, partially paralyzed and frail, falls down the stairs after a struggle with Dolores. The chaos that ensues is capped off by Dolores's frantic search for answers in the kitchen, which ultimately ends with her being caught by the unsuspecting mailman, who bears witness to Dolores standing over Vera's lifeless body, a rolling pin still clutched in her hand.

As news of Vera's demise spreads throughout the community, suspicion settles squarely on Dolores. Her estranged daughter, Selena St. George (played by), a successful journalist from New York City plagued by depression and substance abuse, reluctantly returns to her hometown to support her mother, despite harboring serious doubts about Dolores's innocence. The local authorities, fueled by a long-standing distrust of Dolores stemming from her husband Joe's 1975 murder, launch a murder investigation that seems destined to condemn her.

The dark secrets surrounding Selena and Joe St. George's troubled past come flooding back as the story unfolds. Eighteen years prior, Joe, an abusive drunkard with a penchant for violence, had been hiding a sinister truth: he had been sexually abusing his 13-year-old daughter, Selena. Desperate to escape her father's clutches, Dolores took on the job cleaning for Vera Donovan, hoping to earn enough money to secure Selena's education and freedom from Joe's grasp.

However, when Dolores discovered Selena's suffering at the hands of her husband, she confided in Vera, forging a bond between the two women. Vera's own dark past soon came to light, revealing that she had engineered her husband's supposed car accident, which was actually a meticulously planned murder. This revelation solidified Dolores's resolve to take control of her life and exact revenge on Joe.

As the investigation into Vera's death deepens, Detective John Mackey (played by) remains skeptical of Dolores's claims that Vera took her own life in an attempt to end her suffering. The detective's refusal to believe her is further fueled by the revelation that Vera had left Dolores her entire fortune in a will dating back eight years, which Dolores was unaware of.

As tensions between Dolores and Selena reach a boiling point, their disagreement over Joe's abuse finally boils over, with Selena passionately denying any wrongdoing on her father's part. In the midst of this turmoil, Selena storms out, leaving Dolores to face the music alone.

The past comes flooding back as a poignant flashback unfolds, transporting us to a day when Dolores (character) returned from work, her words laced with venomous conviction as she confronted Joe, accusing him of pilfering valuables and exploiting the innocence of Selena. With calculated precision, Dolores goaded Joe into a frenzy, ultimately leading him to a fate worse than death - a tumble down the dry well in their front yard, leaving his lifeless body to meet its stone bottom grave. This sordid tale is later revealed to Selena through a recording left behind by Dolores, who had foreseen her own departure from this world.

As Selena navigates the emotional turbulence on a ferry, she stumbles upon a long-buried memory of her father's despicable acts - his coercive manipulation into performing a disturbing sexual act. The weight of this revelation crashes down upon her, and with it, the full extent of her father's depravity and Dolores' motivations become crystal clear.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Mackey is busy building a case against Dolores for murder, his zealous pursuit driven by a deep-seated animosity towards her. However, Selena's timely intervention shatters Mackey's illusions, revealing that his evidence is woefully inadequate and that he is, in fact, motivated by his own personal vendetta. As the truth begins to unravel, Mackey is forced to confront the futility of his efforts, ultimately deciding to drop the charges.

In a poignant moment of closure, Dolores and Selena reconcile on the ferry wharf, their bond strengthened by the shared understanding that despite the turmoil that has ravaged their lives, they have always loved each other. With Selena's return to New York, the curtain closes on this complex narrative, leaving us with a profound appreciation for the resilience of the human spirit.