On the night of 17 August 1980, mother-of-three Lindy Chamberlain (Meryl Streep) watches a dingo carry her baby daughter, Azaria, from a tent near Uluru (then known as Ayers Rock) in central Australia. Azaria’s body is never found.
A Northern Territory coroner’s inquest clears Lindy and her husband, Pastor Michael Chamberlain (Sam Neill), of any wrongdoing. Convinced the Chamberlains are guilty, police led by Detective Charlwood (Nick Tate) use questionable forensic findings and circumstantial evidence to charge Lindy with murder and Michael with being an accessory.
In the lead-up to the trial, public sympathy for Lindy is overtaken by rumour and malicious gossip. Many Australians are convinced Azaria’s death and the Chamberlain’s apparent lack of remorse are related to the couple’s Seventh-day Adventist beliefs.
Amid a media frenzy, chief prosecutor Ian Barker QC (Bruce Myles) convinces the jury of Lindy’s guilt and she is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.
On 15 September 1988, following the chance discovery of critical new evidence, Lindy’s conviction is quashed and the case declared a miscarriage of justice.
A well written, directed and performed drama based on the most sensational true case in Australian legal history. Released in some markets as A Cry In The Dark .
Lindy Chamberlain
Meryl Streep Michael Chamberlain
Sam Neill Aidan, aged 6
Dale Reeves Aidan, aged 8
David Hoflin Aidan, aged 11
Jason Reason Reagan, aged 4
Michael Wetter Reagan, aged 6
Kane Barton Reagan, aged 9
Trent Roberts Azaria
Lauren Shepherd (1)
Bethany Ann Prickett (2)
Alison O’Connell (3)
Aliza Dason (4) Cliff Murchison
Brian Jones Avis Murchison
Dorothy Alison Barritt
Maurie Fields Macknay
Peter Hosking O’Loughlin
Matthew Barker Peter Dean
Bruce Kilpatrick Justice Muirhead
Charles Tingwell Barker
Bruce Myles Phillips
Neil Fitzpatrick Sturgess
Dennis Miller Tipple
Lewis Fitzgerald Kirkham
Brendan Higgins Cavanagh
Ian Swan Pauling
Robert Wallace Joy Kuhl
Sandy Gore Professor Cameron
Kevin Miles Dr. Brown
Edgar Metcalfe Professor Chaikin
Gary Files Sims
Peter Aanensen Professor Boettcher
Jon Finlayson Professor Nairn
David Ravenswood Les Harris
Roderick Williams
In the lead-up to the trial, public sympathy for Lindy is overtaken by rumour and malicious gossip. Many Australians are convinced Azaria’s death and the Chamberlain’s apparent lack of remorse are related to the couple’s Seventh-day Adventist beliefs.
