Ben Affleck and the wonderful cast of GONE BABY GONE have already received rave reviews and accolades for this provocative, gripping and heart-breaking story about the disappearance of a little girl and the search to find her. This gritty, fast-paced thriller is realistic and immensely poignant. All the performances are outstanding. Amy Ryan – not widely known internationally before this film – plays Helene, single mother of four year-old Amanda. As the film unravels, we discover that Helene is hardly the best kind of parent. She takes and deals hard drugs, she is neglectful, selfish and unappealing – yet on some level truly loves Amanda, her little girl. It is a powerful performance from Ryan.
Morgan Freeman plays Capt. Jack Doyle ) of the Crimes Against Children unit, leading the police investigation along with Detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris).
When the police fail to make inroads and seem no closer to finding the little girl, her aunt and uncle call in private investigators Patrick Kenzie, (Casey Affleck) and his girlfriend and partner, Angie Genarro, (Michelle Monaghan). The pair find themselves embroiled in a complex case on the tough streets of Dorchester, a rough Boston neighborhood, in a grueling case involving drug dealers, hard criminals and child abusers. They try to find their way through a murky web of lies and violence. GONE BABY GONE is a gripping Police thriller, but it is also far more – at the heart of the story is a moral dilemma and some serious questions about the safety and welfare of children.
The film was directed by Ben Affleck who co-wrote the script along with Aaron Stockard. It was based on the novel by Dennis Lehane.
For Amy Ryan, this has been the movie role of a lifetime. She is receiving widespread praise, including her recent Best Supporting Actress Academy Award Nomination, for her realistic portrayal of this damaged mother and the grim, disturbing world she inhabits. Ryan has already won The New York Film Critics Circle and The National Board of Review awards for Best Supporting Actress (as well as several other American film awards.) She has also been nominated for a Golden Globe.
Ryan grew up in New York dreaming of becoming an actress and attended the High School for Performing Arts. Over the years she has had extensive experience in theater and television. She received two TONY nominations for her performances in UNCLE
Her films include BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD, DAN IN REAL LIFE, CAPOTE, WAR OF THE WORLDS, KEANE, LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD and YOU CAN COUNT ON ME. She will also be seen in BOB FUNK and THE MISSING PERSON. Her television work includes HBO’s THE WIRE and 100 CENTRE STREET.
Slim, blonde and attractive with warmth and appealing openness, she talked about her passion for the film and her career in the following interview.
