Demons from Her Past (2007)

That was an excellent one.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

***SPOILERS*** Better then average made for TV Lifetime movie with ex woman convict Allison Buchanan, Alexandra Paul, coming back to her home town of Gilroy in order to clear herself form a trumped up charge of vehicular homicide she was railroaded into. That in her friends who actually were responsible for young Jason Connelly's, Steven McPhall, death 25 years earlier having Alliison,by perjuring themselves in court, take the rap for it. We get the entire story, in flashback, of what happened that terrible day back in July 1981 within the first five minutes of the movie. So there's no Perry Mason like surprises in the end for us to find out who the real hit and run driver was. What there is in the movie is how those responsible for young Jason's death and cover up tried at first to get Allison to drop the entire matter and when that didn't quite succeed then murder her to keep her quite!Things did change a lot in Gilroy with the person who took the wheel from Allsion K.C Hollings, Rob Stewart, running for state senator and the now Sheriff Roy Baxter, Michael Woods, being the one who supplied the beer that got K.C, who was underage at the time, good and drunk behind the wheel. It was the weak link in the chain Roy's younger brother Quentin,John Ralston, who was the third person in the killer car whom Allison decided to put the screws on in bringing the entire tragic incident to the surface! As expected the weak and guilt ridden Quentin who had the hots for Allison back in high school broke down under pressure and agreed to sign a confession of what happened that day, when Jason was killed, in the local Gilroy newspaper. What in fact Quentin signed was his own death warrant!***SPOILERS*** Despite death threats against herself and being unmercifully harassed by K.C Hollings and Sheriff Baxter Allison stands firm in her determination to clear herself, by bringing the truth out, in Jason Connelly's death. What that leads to is a complete collapses of K.C Hollings plans to shut her up with Sheriff Baxter taking Allison side! Baxter soon fond out that his kid brother was bashed in the head by K.C's campaign manager and wife Ellie, Sophie Gendron, while taking a midnight swim in the Gilroy Marina. And it's then later to make sure that Quentin didn't recover from his injuries he's put to sleep for good. That's done by his attending physician who established an alibi, in them not being at the scene of the accident, for him his brother Ray and K.C at the time of Jason's death! That alibi was provided by non other then the now beloved and well respected head of operations at the Gilroy State Medical Facility Dr. Jeremy Warner, Kevin Jubinville.***MAJOR SPOILER*** With a desperate Dr. Warner, under orders from his boss K.C, kidnapping Allison and planning to bury her alive he's in for a big shock when his, what he thought at the time, co-conspirator in all this Sheriff Baxter shows up with the entire Glroy Police Depertment to arrest him for among other things the murder of his kid brother Quentin! As for both K.C and Ellie they were already behind bars at the Gilroy lock-up courtesy of Sheriff Baxter who had them brought there!

Allison (Alexandra Paul) returns from Paris to her hometown Gilroy for the funeral of her grandmother after an absence of twenty-five years. On 10 July 1981, while driving her car on the road with her friends Quentin (John Ralston) and K.C. (Rob Stewart) that are drinking beer supplied by Quentin's brother Ray (Michael Woods), the wasted K.C. takes the wheel from Alison and steps on the accelerator, hitting and killing the boy Patrick Jason Connelly. However, they leave the crime scene; call their mate Jeremy (Kevin Jubinville) to give an alibi and commit perjury in the trial, telling that they were playing football and Allison was driving alone. She is convicted and spends three years in prison, destroying her life. Now that her grandmother is gone, Allison wants to prove her innocence and clear her name, but Ray is the local Sheriff; Jeremy is the director of the hospital; and K.C. is running the elections for senator. Quentin becomes the hope of Allison to get a confession and achieve her objective, but K.C., his wife Ellie (Sophie Gendron) and Jeremy decide to silence Allison."Demons from He Past" has an interesting premise – an innocent woman that decides to clear her name. The beginning of the story is intriguing, disclosing the present and the past of Allison. However, in a certain moment the story becomes a predictable television movie with the usual collection of clichés, one-dimensional characters and absurd situations, like the naiveness of Allison or the attitude of Jeremy as a doctor. Nevertheless, "Demons of Her Past" entertains and is not a bad movie, and the beautiful Alexandra Paul has a good performance. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Passado Negro" ("Dark Past")