Rambling Rose (1991)

During the 1930s depression, a good hearted but wayward girl (Laura Dern) is taken in by a family as a domestic servant. She's accepted as one of the family but her wanton ways cause major problems for all concerned. This poignant film is framed as a memory piece as a young man (John Heard) reflects on the young girl he fell in love with when he was 13. Based on the novel by Calder Willingham (who also did the screenplay), director Martha Coolidge gives a solid look at how women's sexuality were perceived in the 1930s. There's a horrifying scene in a doctor's (Kevin Conway) office where he actually suggests removing her ovaries and womb to decrease her sexuality! There's also a scene between the 13 year old boy (Lukas Haas) and Dern in bed together that I don't think would survive the script today. Dern was (justifiably) Oscar nominated for her performance here and those of us who love her work were hoping that this would lead to a major career but though she's worked steadily, the "big" career never happened. A gorgeous underscore by Elmer Bernstein. With Robert Duvall and Diane Ladd (also Oscar nominated).