Muriel's Mother

I found this movie heart-breaking not only for Muriel's loneliness, but also her mother. Her mother had me in tears several times throughout the movie, and obviously in the end when it was revealed she had overdosed on sleeping pills. The way the father berated her, had an affair directly in front of her, and the scene when the mother and father were in the car after she was picked up for shoplifting when she's trying to tell the father she needed help but he refused to listen and instead turned up the radio. Her facial expressions throughout the movie and how sad, lonely, and desperate she was, was heart-wrenching. Excellent actress. Toni Collette is always fabulous; I have never seen her in anything she didn't shine in. As Muriel, she was delightful and sweet, and someone you wanted to be friends with. She made you want to cheer her on and find the happiness she was searching for. All in all, terrific film.