Parents' Guide to Miranda's Victim

Breslin gives a powerful performance in this legal drama, which sheds light not on the man whose name is synonymous with suspects' rights but instead on the survivor of his crime. Miranda's Victim makes it clear that while Miranda's name might be universally known, his crime and its titular victim deserve to be acknowledged and remembered. Director-producer Michelle Danner doesn't dehumanize Miranda, but—as the movie's title makes plain—he's not the main character of this story. Breslin demonstrates impressive, nuanced emotional range playing Trish Weir both as a naive teen and, later, a young mother with a traumatic secret. VanCamp believably plays Weir's concerned and supportive older sister, and the reliably excellent Mireille Enos is misguidedly persuasive as an old-fashioned mother who's more concerned with reputation than reality.

Although the movie is fairly predictable as a legal drama, the story is compelling, and the ensemble's performances are memorable. Danner (a well-known acting instructor in Los Angeles) must have an impressive roster of former students and contacts to have attracted so many well-known actors to play even the smallest roles (including Donald Sutherland as an Arizona judge, Kyle MacLachlan as Earl Warren, and Andy Garcia, Ryan Phillippe, and Luke Wilson as attorneys). The movie is a feminist reclaiming of the name best known for a suspect's constitutional rights. It successfully forces viewers to think about Weir's brave, heroic actions, even as they lead to more trauma for her. Like She Said, this is a tribute to truth-telling survivors.