the plot: Lindy and Michael Chamberlain (Streep and Neill) go camping in the Australian outback near Ayers Rock in 1980 with their two young sons and their two-month-old daughter, Azaria. While briefly left unattended in the tent, Azaria is carried off into the darkness by a wild dingo, never to be seen again. After a futile overnight search, the couple begins mourning the loss of their little girl, taking strength from their religious faith. But the story becomes an international media sensation, and Lindy and Michael find themselves besieged by rabid newspaper, magazine and television reporters. Numerous questions arise over the veracity of the Chamberlains’ version of events, and rumors spread that they are part of a bizarre cult that killed the girl in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon enough, an inquest begins, and the couple’s nightmare intensifies as Lindy is accused of murdering her daughter.

why it’s good: The chilling thing about this story is that it’s true. The case of Azaria Chamberlain remains the most sensationalized news item in Australian history. It is therefore no spoiler to reveal that Lindy Chamberlain was falsely convicted of murder and spent three years in prison before new evidence led to her release. The film offers a strikingly realistic depiction of the actual events and the media spectacle that surrounded them, flashing between pubs, workplaces and living rooms where Australian citizens debated the case with as much vehemence as the courts. The camera follows the Chamberlains as they are dragged through this circus of public hysteria and into a heated courtroom, where the jury’s dubious verdict rips their family apart, paving a long and torturous road to redemption. There are few dramatic effects here, and the dialogue is natural and believable. That’s due largely to a terrific performance by Meryl Streep, who earned her eighth Oscar nomination for her stunningly convincing portrayal of the polarizing mother. Sam Neill, too, delivers a powerful turn as a devout husband and father whose faith begins to crack under the weight of so much grief and stress.

why you should own it: It was exactly 30 years ago, in October 1982, that Lindy Chamberlain was convicted of murdering her daughter. Although she was freed in 1986, it was only in June of this year, following a fourth inquest, that a coroner issued a death certificate ruling that the baby was, in fact, killed by a dingo. Based on a 1985 book by John Bryson, “A Cry in the Dark” provides a thorough account of this horrific tale, illustrating what can happen when facts become tangled in public innuendo.