A strong, disturbing picture (1988) in which Meryl Streep’s beauty and talent and director Fred Schepisi’s intelligence are both shown to best advantage, without easy points or grandstanding. Streep stars as Lindy Chamberlain in the true-life story of a bereaved mother of a nine-week-old daughter in Australia who was tried for her child’s murder, despite the absence of a body, weapon, motive, or clear evidence. Sam Neill costars as Chamberlain’s husband Michael; the script was written by Schepisi and Robert Caswell, based on the book Evil Angels by John Bryson. 121 min. (JR)