Stories from the Other Side of the American Dream For Laurie Collyer ’89, f ilmmaking is an act of hope. By Elizabeth Weinstein ’02 Photographs by Christopher Wahl for OAM in august 2006, a visibly pregnant maggie gyllenhaal appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote her latest film, Sherrybaby, which was about to come out in theaters. “This movie is like a poor orphan child, you know? It needs my help. Like, I’m here, almost eight months pregnant, to say, ‘Come seeit,’”shetoldLettermanwithalaugh,adding,“Ireallywantto make it clear that it’s not a downer!” In Sherrybaby, Gyllenhaal plays Sherry Swanson, a 20-something heroin addict who is released from prison and attempts to reconnect with the young daughter she hasn’t seen in years. The role earned Gyllenhaal a Golden Globe nomination. It also helped catapult Laurie Collyer ’89, a then-unknown writer and director with a passion for telling stories about the underside of the American dream, into the spotlight as an independent filmmaker to watch. To date, Collyer has written and directed a trifecta of films that tackle weighty social issues. She has also earned a reputation for telling unflinchingly honest stories about strong, troubled, complex women—a rarity in Hollywood. GRATE PERFORMANCE Laurie Collyer ‘89, right, photographed February 5, 2015, on the set of Marilyn, her upcoming miniseries for Lifetime. s