Missing Beauty

Related Content

• "Welcome to the Rileys": Kristen Stewart is an antistar
  November 24, 2010
• "Conviction": Hilary Swank emotes big, gets brother out of jail in awards-bait movie
  October 20, 2010
• "The Fighter": Boxer biopic falls through the ropes
  December 15, 2010
• Ice in the Veins
  January 21, 2009
• "Treme": New HBO series from "The Wire" creators
  March 31, 2010

More About

• Melissa Leo
• Janis DeLucia Allen
• JP Allen
• Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Her deglamorized, no-bullshit portrayal of a middle-aged single mother in grim financial straits earned Melissa Leo a Best Actress nomination for Frozen River (2008). The Oscar nod was also an acknowledgment of two decades of gutsy, gimmick-free character roles in movies such as The Ballad of Little Jo and 21 Grams. A woman for whom acting — not stardom — is the Holy Grail, Leo took a central role in Stephanie's Image, San Francisco producer-director Janis DeLucia Allen's close-to-the-bone independent feature, as an ex-model whose mysterious murder propels a documentary filmmaker's search for the truth. JP Allen's sneaky-smart screenplay takes a thriller-slash-whodunit setup and spins a crafty yarn that plays with audience perceptions and expectations. A rare treat for awake-at-the-wheel moviegoers with a taste for puzzles, language, and high-level mindfucking, Stephanie's Image also showcases a wealth of breathtakingly fearless acting. As a further bonus, John Dilley's short film “How to Be Popular” and Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck's “Ella and the Astronaut” screen before the main attraction, and Stephanie's Image filmmakers attend tonight’s screening.
Feb. 15-21, 7:30 p.m., 2010