Conviction, directed by Tony Goldwyn, is the inspirational true-life story of a high-school dropout named Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) who devoted 20 years of her life to becoming a lawyer in order to prove the innocence of her brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell), who was wrongfully accused and sentenced to life in prison for a murder he did not commit. Her unshakable belief in his innocence and her determination to expose and reverse a travesty of justice provides the raw material for an expertly detailed, soundly constructed film about family love that is undeniably powerful.

Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two from the wrong side of the tracks, and Kenny, who has neither an education nor a solid family background, were deserted by their father and raised by a trashy, self-absorbed mother who shipped them both off to a string of foster homes. Practically joined at the hip, they learn at an early age to depend solely on each other, but although they both eventually marry and start their own families, Kenny is always a rowdy prankster--violent, wild and impulsive--who spends most of his time on the wrong side of the law. So, in the rural hick town where they lived, when the body of a woman is found in a bloodstained trailer house in 1980, he is a natural suspect, but because of a lack of evidence, he is cleared and released. Two years later, two so-called "witnesses" come forward to testify they heard Kenny confess to the brutal slaying. With the relentless push of a crooked, man-hating cop (the excellent Melissa Leo), the case is reopened and Kenny is sentenced to life without parole. Betty Anne's world falls apart, but her faith in her sibling remains undiminished. While working as a waitress in a pub and trying to raise two sons, she gets her high-school diploma and earns a B.A. degree, neglecting her husband and wrecking her marriage in the process, but somehow manages to save enough money to enter law school and pass the bar exam.  Fueled by unconditional love, she intends to overturn Kenny's conviction while acting as his lawyer. 

With the aid of her best friend (Minnie Driver), she pulls every lever in the legal system, only to find the evidence in the case has disappeared. Appealing to famed lawyer Barry Scheck (Peter Gallagher) and his newfound knowledge of miraculous DNA testing to exonerate Kenny, Betty Anne pores over every shred of the investigation from start to finish, searching for blood work from the first trial to force an acquittal, bending a few laws herself to reach the truth. Meticulously examining every clue to piece together the missing elements of the puzzle, director Goldwyn and screenwriter Pamela Gray build a film of crime, suspense and adventure with breathless pacing and all the earmarks of a first-rate mystery story. Ms. Swank, who specializes in roles of bravery and true grit, and the always colorful and versatile Mr. Rockwell, one of the screen's youngest and most appealing character actors, exude amazing chemistry as the brother and sister living through two decades of hell. It's a thrill to watch his transformation from cocky young stud to hardened convict without hope, showing the cruelty and indifference of the American prison system at work. The flawless supporting cast includes a juicy performance by Juliette Lewis as a brainless witness whose lies under oath for personal reasons in order to ruin Kenny's life. 

Filled with nuance, intricate emotion and a refreshing absence of melodramatics, Conviction is a moving exploration of light and love shining through the darkness of despair. Its impact cannot easily be shaken. 

CONVICTION
Running time 106 minutes
Written by Pamela Gray
Directed by Tony Goldwyn
Starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher, Juliette Lewis

3/4

The young designers of Proenza Schouler approached Mr. Rodriguez. "Did you see Michelle Obama in his dress?" cried Lazaro Hernandez. "Really major!"

"They have a fabulous new bag line," deflected Mr. Rodriguez. Mr. Hernandez asked if Mr. Rodriguez was designing the inaugural gown. "It would be nice to think so," he said modestly. Mr. Hernandez said it may be hard to get Ms. Obama in Proenza Schouler, because "she's probably going to be wearing Narciso every day!"

The actress Juliette Lewis was sipping a cocktail in a silver sequined Phillip Lim jumpsuit. "Omigod cue the music, I love this song, MGMT, it's this band... Anyway, I am finishing a record, a solo record, so it'll just be me. Oh, you probably don't know," she said. "I've been doing music for the last five years. You have to check it out on the internet!" (Her band is called Juliette and the Licks, and its former members include Hole's Patty Schemel and the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl).

"I'm about to start another movie that Mark Ruffalo's directing, he's one of my favorite actors," she continued. "It's going to be yummy and independent, and James Franco is in it. I didn't act for like three years because I was just touring the world [with the band]."

Ms. Lewis had arrived at this fashionable gathering via Mr. Lim, a new friend. "He invited me, I'm his guest, and I'm wearing his clothes. It's a new love affair, between him and me," she said. Mr. Lim was not up for an award, so they were supporting his friend, whose name had escaped her. She swatted at Mr. Lim, standing nearby in a suit and red boutonniere. "Who's your friend we're rooting for?" (Richard Chai, he said). "Richard Chai!" she said. Mr. Lim indicated they should circle the room.

Nearby, Coyote Ugly actress Piper Perabo was overheard grilling her date, designer Peter Som: "There is an important question I need to ask. Are you single?" she said.

"Yes," said Mr. Som.

"I am too," said Ms. Perabo, somewhat discontentedly.

Eventually the crowd moved towards dinner: Vogue editor Anna Wintour, CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg, Harvey Weinstein and designer wife Georgina Chapman, actress Rose Byrne, tennis player Maria Sharapova, Gossip Girl's Blake Lively and Penn Badgley, Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa, designer couple Damon Dash and Rachel Roy (stepping out in the midst of tabloid flutter about their alleged bankruptcy) and André Leon Talley in an oversized black pea coat which said: "THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM" in gold on the back.

Charlize Theron introduced the evening's keynote speaker, Dior designer John Galliano.

"You should get that," she said, when someone's cell phone rang during her speech.

She explained that Mr. Galliano was born in Gibraltar, son of a homemaker and a plumber-"not Joe the Plumber."

Mr. Galliano himself wore a black top hat covered in daisies and a black vest over black bejeweled pants. He was shaking from nervousness as he recounted, via TelePrompter, his rise in the fashion industry. "My first collection was called ‘Afghanistan repudiates Western ideals,'" he said, to laughter. "Prophetic."

Mr. Galliano and Ms. Theron announced the evening's winner, 24-year-old Alexander Wang, who would take home $200,000. The ebullient, black-clad designer mounted the stage and kissed both the presenters. "I can't believe I just kissed John Galliano!" he swooned into the microphone. Ms. Theron tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh! And Charlize Theron! To think that five years ago I was reading about this event in a magazine in my dorm room."

British actress Kelly Reilly is not actually involved with Guy Ritchie, as was reported in the wake of his breakup with Madonna. In fact, she is engaged to someone else. [US Weekly] 

Someone named Juan Pablo Escobar, who claims to be the son of the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, was making his way around the Queens International Film Festival and "chatting with a handful of producers about a TV show and a clothing line he wants to create." [P6]

However, Pablo Sr.'s brother Roberto says, "I had [my sister-in-law] Maria at my house eight months ago. She never mentioned a son in the America. How would he get a visa to enter the United States?" [R&M]

After receiving a letter from the Board of Elections explaining that his Election Day troubles were due to an address mix-up, Tim Robbins is determinedly maintaining his outrage: "I think they are trying to cover their tracks," he told a reporter. [P6]

Ed Westwick got shot down by Juliette Lewis at a Killers show. She reportedly asked a friend, "Who is this guy?" [R&M]