Lorelei is a film about prisons. The most obvious prison is the one we see the least on-screen: the place where Wayland (Pablo Schreiber, brother of Liev Schreiber) spent fifteen years after committing a minor crime in his youth. The second prison is less apparent. After his release, at the beginning of the movie, Wayland is reunited with Dolores (Jena Malone), his high school sweetheart, now a single mother of three. A former professional swimmer, Dolores is forced to support her family alone, putting aside her dreams and ambitions to provide the necessary care for her offspring. Sabrina Doyle, director and scriptwriter, frames the Wayland and Dolores under the doorframe, or through metal fences, showing in a very visual manner the daily prison that encloses them and hinders personal growth. The third prison, very much in line with the second, is the one that causes mental ups and downs for those who are dependent on the present and constantly uncertain about the next day, offset in a certain way, by memories and experiences of an idyllic past that is gone forever.
This debut from Sabrina Doyle submerges us to leave us renewed. Although the film is told from the perspective of Wayland, the story is truly about Dolores’s character arc, embodied magnificently by Malone. Don’t be fooled by the dramatic plot: the entire narrative focuses on the simple idea that it’s never too late. Hope always prevails whether you are lost somewhere in Oregon, in a bar in California or on your way out of a state prison.
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Credits
Year: 2020
Runtime: 110′
Country: USA
Direction: Sabrina Doyle
Screenplay: Sabrina Doyle
Cast: Pablo Schreiber, Jena Malone, Gretchen Corbett
Cinematography: Stephen Paar
Genre: Drama
Subtitles: Iris C. Permuy
Contact: Visit Films
Wins & Nominations
2020: Deauville Film Festival – Jury Prize
2020: Tribeca Film Festival
