Coal Miner's Granddaughter
1991 | 01:20:00 | United States | English | B&W | Mono
Collection: Single Titles
Tags: Family, Feminism, Gender, LGBTQ, Pixelvision


Shot primarily in Fisher-Price pixelvision, for the “murky look of memory," Coal Miner’s Granddaughter is a profoundly moving family portrait focusing on the youngest daughter Jane, as she leaves her Pennsylvania home and finds sexual independence in San Francisco. This semi-autobiographical narrative is remarkable for Dougherty’s unconventional approach: working with non-professional, plain-looking actors and improvised dialogue to recreate the life of the “average” family, and women who are “Plain Janes with big desires.”