Writer/director Cholodenko’s first feature brought her the screenwriting prize at the Sundance Film Festival; Ally Sheedy was named Best Actress by groups including the Independent Spirit Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and National Society of Film Critics. Sheedy’s characterization of a gifted photographer whose relationships and career are running on empty is beautifully complemented by Radha Mitchell as the younger woman who falls in love with her, and by Patricia Clarkson as her louche and soignée longtime partner.