Vanessa Zima Movies
Cavedweller is an adaptation of Dorothy Allison's novel of the same name. Anne Meredith, who also adapted Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina, wrote the script, and the film was directed by Lisa Cholodenko (Laurel Canyon). Kyra Sedgwick stars as Delia Byrd. As the film opens, Delia loses her wayward rock-star husband, Randall (Kevin Bacon in a bit part), to a car accident, and decides to take her angry, heartbroken young daughter, Cissy (Regan Arnold, who played the tormented little sister in Blue Car), from Los Angeles back to her hometown in rural Georgia, where Delia left her two daughters and her abusive husband, Clint (Aidan Quinn), many years ago, to join Randall on the road. "Those people are not gonna be happy to see you," warns Delia's friend, Rosemary (singer Jill Scott in her film debut), but Delia is determined to reclaim her daughters. Cissy irrationally blames Delia for Randall's death, making the drive to Georgia an unpleasant one. Upon arriving there, Delia finds that she is not remembered fondly. Her taciturn grandfather (Myron Natwick) reluctantly takes her and Cissy in, but Delia soon learns that Clint is dying, and that her daughters, Amanda (Vanessa Zima) and Dede (April Mullen), are living with Clint's fire-and-brimstone mother (Jackie Burroughs), who has no intention of letting the girls see her. Realizing he has wronged her, Clint agrees to help Delia get custody of the girls, in exchange for her caring for him until he dies. Cavedweller was shown at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival before premiering on Showtime. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kyra Sedgwick, Aidan Quinn, (more)
Zoe (Vanessa Zima) is a teenage girl growing up in Michigan, where she's grown frustrated with life in the Midwest and is at odds with her mother (Kim Greist), who refuses to break things off with her boyfriend, who often beats her. Zoe wants to find a new direction in her life, and when she learns that one of her ancestors was a Cherokee Indian, she decides to explore her Native American heritage. Two of Zoe's friends, Ally (Victoria Davis) and Sarah (Stephi Lineburg), want to go to California, and since Zoe thinks she can find a spiritual guide in New Mexico, she decides to join them as they steal a car and head west. En route, Zoe makes the acquaintance of Cecelia (Jenny Seagrove), a British woman who is heading out to Navajo territory to scatter the ashes of her late mother, and Zoe believes she's met a mirror-version of herself (albeit a few years older). Zoe was the first feature film from director Deborah Attoinese, who also co-wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Zima, Jenny Seagrove, (more)
With suspense in the De Palma tradition, this thriller from Michael Steinberg (Bodies, Rest & Motion) hinges on the killer of cheating Karen Christianson (Chelsea Field), survived by her husband Ben (William R. Moses), troubled teen daughter Ellie (Julia Stiles), and little sister Inger (Vanessa Zima). At the gated tract-house community where they live, homicide detective Boland (Michael Parks) keeps his eye on a variety of suspects -- prissy Mrs. Potter (Linda Hart), womanizing Lawson Smith (Patrick Muldoon of Starship Troopers); and au pair Lena (Swedish actress Louise Myrback in her film debut). Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Stiles, William R. Moses, (more)
Peter Fonda received a richly deserved Oscar nomination for his superb performance as Ulysses "Ulee" Jackson, a Florida beekeeper forced to put his splintered family back together. Ulee is a Vietnam veteran whose wife died several years ago, a blow he's still learning to live with. His son Jimmy (Tom Wood) is in prison, and his daughter-in-law Helen (Christine Dunford) ran away, leaving Ulee to raise their two daughters by himself. Ulee is a quiet man who has a hard time displaying warmth and does not always deal well with the rebellious children put in his care. But he possesses an intense inner strength and a firm sense of loyalty and responsibility. One day Ulee gets a call from Jimmy; he's received word that Helen has fallen in with a pair of drug dealers and is in sad shape. While he doesn't much care for the idea, Ulee heads out to rescue her, only to discover the men who have her were Jimmy's partners in the robbery that put him behind bars; they threaten Ulee by saying if they're not given the $100,000 Jimmy has stashed away, they'll come after his daughters. Meanwhile, Ulee is forced to deal with Helen's painful withdrawal from drugs; he gets some help from Connie (Patricia Richardson), a divorced nurse who has recently moved into the neighborhood and seems to understand Ulee's lonely stoicism. Written and directed with subtle intelligence by Victor Nuñez, Ulee's Gold is a moving story about the trials and responsibilities of family ties, with Peter Fonda leading a fine cast that delivers uniformly impressive work. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Fonda, Patricia Richardson, (more)
