A relentlessly downbeat and harsh-toned TV movie thriller that gets a much-needed shot in the arm from a fine trio of star performances. Mare Winningham plays the eponymous Elaine, a woman whose friendship with a paroled convict (Chris Cooper) helps her to come to terms with a childhood incident when her mother was killed and her father (Lloyd Bridges) crippled by a shotgun-wielding intruder. Unusual, but compelling and affecting.

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