Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Have just read some of the comments on the message boards and some of the reviews. Some opinions differ from mine, but that is usual. I am NOT a big fan of Meryl Streep... never having "bought into" the "Meryl is the Greatest American Actress since Bette Davis!!!" hype. But then, I never really bought into the "Bette Davis is the Greatest American Actress" hype either.All that said ... for me, this was just another Streep Accent film. The story was interesting because, not living in Australia, I was oblivious to the real life events and the furor it caused. I was not aware of the outcome of the trial and the appeals etc. The whole media mess reminded me of the parents being accused in the "who killed the baby-pageant-queen" case... also still not really solved.Streep is as usual.. Streep. Sam Neill is OK as the husband... not outstanding but OK. The many many bit parts and extras convey the hysteria that occurred in the country. The kids were mostly impossible to understand and the new little girl was obviously the child of some member of the cast or crew.Would I recommend this film ... nope .. not really. Too many better films to watch. Streep best actress that year ? Nopers again ! Plus she had a funny haircut and 1/2 eyebrows that were incredibly distracting. Give it a miss.

I am a Meryl Streep fan. I feel she is so versatile. This is just another character where she shows her versatility. I don't think the role of Lindy Chamberlain was an easy one, nor Michael Chamberlain for that matter. Meryl Streep and Sam Neil both did an INCREDIBLE job playing those roles.This is a very sad story. I couldn't even imagine having to going through what Lindy had to go through after losing a baby. As if losing the baby wasn't enough. This movie shows the power of media. As soon as people start talking the whole story escalates. Everything went out of control. I find it so sad how everyone has to jump on the bandwagon, and this mom went to jail because of it. I know that with certain murder trials I have had quite a strong opinions of what I believe is true. So I guess this is exactly the same thing, part of our human nature.I found the beginning of the movie a bit slow, but from the time Azaria was taken, I couldn't take my eye away from the screen. I was too emotionally involved. I found how they kept showing snippets of the general public to be very effective. It was interesting to see how everyone has their opinion, in the beginning silly things like the name Azaria means sacrifice in the wilderness, and eventually it all turns into a hate for Lindy. People celebrated when she got convicted. This is a really sad, but great movie. The movie left me with a lot of things to think about, about human nature, media etc etc. Most definitely a tearjerker, but I think one of those are good every now and then. Knowing that this is based on a true story just makes it that much sadder...

The facts in the case of an Australian couple persecuted by a headline-hungry press should be familiar to viewers of the CBS news show 60 Minutes, which aired the story (not coincidentally) just before this film was released. Both versions recount the disappearance during a weekend camping trip of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain's infant daughter, and the subsequent three-ring media circus which led to wild (and totally fabricated) accusations of cult fanaticism and ritual sacrifices, and eventually to a murder conviction for the bereaved mother. But the big screen dramatization has more in mind than just a strong reprimand for misguided journalism ethics. The reporters covering the case are shown to be more ferocious than the wild dingo dog claimed by the Chamberlain's to have killed their child, but the screenplay wisely implicates public opinion as well, which condemned Lindy Chamberlain to prison for not having a telegenic personality (the same trait might also lose her sympathy with moviegoers, despite another challenging performance by Meryl Streep). Director Fred Schepisi presents the story as a straightforward, undemonstrative docudrama, letting the cold-blooded courtroom drama speak for itself, with a pair of excellent actors (Streep and Sam Neill) taking up the slack.

In short I say to you the facts.... Lindy and David are New Zealanders who immigrated to Australia (soz Meryl your accent is wrong) A two month old baby disappeared while camping with their family (why would anyone go to the middle of the desert to see a massive rock with such a young family is anyone's guess especially when she couldn't do anything except watch her husband climb up Uluru) It is extremely unlikely that a dingo would be able to carry a baby let alone not leave a massive mess inside the tent when you consider they are constantly fed by the tourists, to this day this is unanswered but that's not to say that she is innocent or guilty it's just a very unlikely event. The press really took away any chance of getting to the real truth of this story.... who or what killed Azaria Chamberlain? This movie is extremely hard for Australian's to look at itself cause I can't get over the stupid comments made by the Australians, it really made us look silly and I feel that it didn't really portray what Australia is really all about. The things you can learn from this movie is that press can destroy any facts and Police can botch up any investigation, bigotry is rife in Australia when it comes to religion and truth to what happen to Azaria will never be known. Good to watch however you need to consider that this is a POV and still the facts are out there.