Oprah Winfrey Presents: Amy And Isabelle

By James Poniewozik

A teenager's sexual awakening creates tension between her and her secret-keeping, young single mother: it's like Gilmore Girls done as domestic drama. This quiet story, based on Elizabeth Strout's novel, might never have aired without Winfrey's name. That may be why the film ramps up the melodrama; between the moody imagery and eerie music, you'd think you were watching a '70s horror flick. But the understated leads shine. Elisabeth Shue brings out mom Isabelle's repression without turning her into a mere set of conventions; Hanna Hall plays Amy with a subtle concupiscence that recalls her previous movie, The Virgin Suicides. Amy's adapters should rent it sometime.

--J.P.