Suspended between carefree youth and the harsh realities of the adult world, a teenage girl experiences an unsettling awakening in this haunting vision of innocence lost. Based on the celebrated short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the narrative debut from Joyce Chopra features a revelatory breakout performance by Laura Dern as Connie, the fifteen-year-old black sheep of her family whose summertime idyll of beach trips, mall hangouts, and innocent flirtations is shattered by an encounter with a mysterious stranger (a memorably menacing Treat Williams). Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Smooth Talk captures the thrill and terror of adolescent sexual exploration as it transforms the conventions of a coming-of-age story into something altogether more troubling and profound.
Big Baby tells the story of Adam Lewis, a successful horror screenwriter struggling for inspiration for his latest script. After a graphic and realistic nightmare of a hulking man dressed in a baby mask and onesie who axe murders his girlfriend Kate in the middle of the night, Adam gets the inspiration he needs for his new screenplay. Excited about the direction his story is taking, he starts losing himself in his script. Things are better than ever for Adam and Kate until “Big Baby” starts appearing in real life and tormenting and killing victims fueled by his own revenge. Characters from Adam’s script begin to pay him visits pleading for their lives, and he quickly realizes he holds their fate in his hands. Power and fear completely consume Adam until his girlfriend Kate is terrified of the man she once loved.