Passion Fish

May-Alice, a soap opera actress, is paralysed from the waist down after a car accident. She leaves New York for the family house in Louisiana and lives there drinking, watching television and firing every carer sent to her. Then Chantelle arrives, a woman with her own history of addiction who cannot afford to lose the job. John Sayles refuses to turn this into a recovery story. Neither woman saves the other. They simply see through each other's lies, which lands harder. The best scenes are the ones where the two of them sit in silence. Mary McDonnell plays May-Alice and Alfre Woodard plays Chantelle. McDonnell was nominated for the best actress Oscar and Sayles for original screenplay. Its flaws: over two hours, repetitive scenes with visitors in the middle stretch, and a romantic subplot that adds nothing. Who it is for: viewers who like American independent film built on character. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace and incident.