A Cry in the Dark is a 1988 movie directed by Fred Schepisi that reenacts the true story of Lindy Chamberlain's ordeal. Lindy, portrayed by Meryl Streep, is a young mother who, along with her husband Michael, traveled with her three children to the Australian outback in 1980.
On the night of August 17, 1980, Lindy claims she put her nine-week-old daughter, Azaria, to bed in their tent. Later that evening, she hears a strange noise, and returning to the tent, sees a dingo shaking something small. She screams and runs towards the animal, but it runs away into the night, carrying the baby with it.
Lindy, Michael, and other campers look for Azaria, but she is nowhere to be found. An extensive search yields no result, and suspicions arise. Some speculate that the chamberlains killed their baby and hid the body. The police conduct a thorough investigation and interrogate the family, finding inconsistencies in their story.
The media sensationalizes the case, and the public opinion turns against the chamberlains. Lindy's stoic demeanor and her religious beliefs further fuel the image of a cold-blooded killer. The Northern Territory government opens an inquest, and despite weak evidence, Lindy is charged with murder. Michael is charged as an accessory.
The proceedings of the trial are tense and dramatic, with the prosecution and the defense offering different theories about the disappearance of Azaria. The forensic evidence is inconclusive, and the trial devolves into a circus-like atmosphere. On October 29, 1982, Lindy is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
The chamberlains appeal, but their challenge is rejected. It takes three years of appeals and high-level intervention before new evidence emerges, contradicting some of the prosecution's arguments. In 1986, the conviction is quashed, and Lindy is released. The new evidence also forces the authorities to re-open the investigation, and Azaria's death is finally ruled as a probable dingo attack.
The movie is a nuanced portrayal of a mother's struggle against the injustice of a system that fails to acknowledge innocence until proven guilty. Streep's performance is praised for its depth, and the movie captures the media frenzy and the public hysteria that engulfed the chamberlains. A Cry in the Dark remains a sobering reminder of how easily people can fall victim to prejudice and mob mentality.
